It had to be You!
by TipTopToo
Summary: Bella doesn't jump off the cliff alone spurring the later events in New Moon, so what happens when Alice doesn't show up and Bella doesn't run off to Italy? My take on a Jacob/Bella story line!
1. Winds of Change

**AN: Hello all! I'll start with a disclaimer, that I am not Stephanie Meyer, which I know is SHOCKING, I'm just playing in her universe! Please apply this note to all following chapters. So, I've always been a team Jacob stan, and I decided to write my take on it. It will be flawed, I'm always open to suggestions! There are a couple of lines directly from New Moon in here as well!**

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1\. Winds of Chance

I sighed, pulling my brown hair over my shoulder and settling back against the bleached driftwood on the beach. The rocks shifting nosily beneath me as tried to get comfortable. I was restless. Everyone was out doing things around me, and I had to stay put, they were after all trying to keep me safe. I bit the inside of my cheek and frowned. That stupid vampire Victoria - She was ruining Spring Break; if she hadn't shown up to kill me, Jake and I would probably be off having an adventure. Instead I was left to wander the Res and First Beach like a ghost. Only coming back to life when Jake would take a break from patrolling or I could get my adrenaline pumping enough to hear _him_. With that thought my eyes snapped to the cliffs Jake had promised to take me diving off of. I knew he wanted me to wait for him, but, what was the harm in going alone?

I pushed to my feet ready to leave the beach and find the foot path that would lead me to the cliffs. The wind picked up fiercely and pushed me, it was like it was telling me no. I narrowed my eyes. I looked up at the sky and saw that it was starting to turn grey. Maybe I should wait for Jake after all? I stomped back to the driftwood and sat without grace in a huff. I rested my elbows on my thighs and put my chin in my hands. I still felt restless, I wanted to go somewhere, and I wanted to do something. But, doing something dangerous while everyone was fighting to protect me seemed a poor way to pay back the sacrifices everyone was making for me. I resigned myself to waiting for Jacob. I picked up a rock by my foot and turned it marvelling at the way the light hit it at different angles.

I stood and started pacing, throwing the rock up and catching it. I was a little too focused on the rock and didn't pay enough attention to my feet; I tripped over them and fell with a clatter onto the rocks. I cursed under my breath before pulling myself up and inspecting my hands and knees. They hurt from taking the brunt of the impact and one of my hands was bleeding from a rather sharp rock which had embedded itself in my skin. I winced and looked away from my bleeding hand. With how often I hurt myself it should have been easier for me to deal with pain and blood. I wrapped my opposite hand around my wrist and unsteadily got to my feet, heading to the shore. I crouched and stuck my hand in the freezing water, shivering from the cold. I waited until my hand felt numb and pulled it back out. I told myself it would be no big deal to pull the rock out. _Nope, no big deal at all Bella, you just gotta pull this rock out nice and quick. It's like taking off a Band-Aid._ I quickly pulled the rock from the gash on my hand and immediately looked away. I plunged my hand back into the water quickly, not wanting to see or smell the blood. I heard a commotion in the trees and looked over, confused.

Jacob burst through the tree line in wolf form, which shocked me, he was running straight for me and I couldn't figure out why; when I felt something colder than the water touch my wrist. My heart stuttered I pulled my gaze away from Jacob and shifted my head to look at my wrist. A pale hand grasped it; I followed the hand up to a heartbreakingly beautiful face, with a hateful smile in place for me. In an instant she had me in the water and I flailed uselessly against her in the frigid cold. Jacob was not far from us and let loose a loud howl. He launched into the water after us. **Fight Bella! **The sweet perfect voice I always found myself chasing after commanded. I listened without hesitation, squirming and fighting against the hold Victoria had one me, even though it seemed useless, it would make it harder for her to tread water, and give Jake time to catch us.

"Keep still you insolent little twit!" Victoria snarled. I did the opposite; it was getting harder and harder as my limbs were going numb in the freezing water. I couldn't see Jake anymore and my heart beat even harder in panic. **Take a deep breath, Jacob hasn't left you. **I listened to the voice without question and sucked in a deep breath. No sooner had I then we were underwater, being pulled by an unknown force. Everything was confusing from that point on. I tried to see, but I couldn't, all I knew was that Victoria had released her hold on me and something warm was pushing me away from her at top speed.

We broke the surface of the water and Jacob was kicking us towards the shore. He had phased at some point and was human for the moment. "Help me out here Bells, swim for the shore!" I listened to him as readily as I had the perfect voice in my head. I made it much faster than I would have alone; Jacob was strong, and fast. He pushed me out onto the shore and phased back into his wolf. He ran inland, coming to stand next to me and searching the water, a low snarling noise emitting from his chest. Two more wolves broke through the tree line, Jared and Paul. They all stared at each other, and I took it to mean they were communicating in their strange wolf telepathy way. Jared dashed back to the tree line, and emerged in human form moments later.

"Are you alright Bella?" He asked. I blinked a couple of times trying to make my mouth work. It was no use, I was shaking hard. The water had been frigid and the wind had picked up, my teeth were chattering. I nodded my head in response instead. "Jacob is going to run you back to his place, and get you dry. We will keep an eye on the beach; she should never have gotten so close to you. We apologize Bella." I shrugged. I didn't blame anyone for Victoria finally finding me. It was no one's fault that I was a magnet for trouble. Jacob sunk onto his stomach next to me and apprehensively I got onto his back. He was up and moving in no time. The run to his house only took a minute and I slid off of him. He motioned that I should go into his house with his head. I nodded and made my way inside, finally getting out of the cold wind. I wrapped my arms around myself trying to quell my shaking as I perched on the edge of the sofa. I wondered idly where Billy was. Jacob burst into the room moments later.

"Bella! Are you okay? I was trailing her, so close to catching her, when she dove off the cliffs into the water. I panicked because you hang out at the beach all the time. I ran as fast as I could…" His sentence trailed off and he ran his hands agitatedly through his hair, his eyes seemed to go out of focus, and then snap back. "I'm so sorry Bella!"

"I'm fine Jake, and it's fine! You couldn't have known what she was planning. I wouldn't have been so close to the water, but…" Jacob quirked an eyebrow; I hated admitting to my once clumsy friend that I was still extremely clumsy. "I fell, and I got a rock stuck in my hand. I had just pulled it out and stuck my hand back in the water so I wouldn't be able to smell the blood." Jacob sighed and dropped onto his knees in front of me holding out his hands, I put my injured one in his hesitantly.

"It doesn't look too bad." He told me after a short assessment. "I've definitely seen you do worse to yourself. We should clean that out so it doesn't get infected." He paused and looked at me sadly. "Listen Bella, I have some bad news…" He kept a hold of my hand but looked up into my eyes. That was never a good sentence to hear. "Harry had a heart attack. My dad is at the hospital with your dad. He's in surgery, but, it doesn't look good." I drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry!" He nodded.

"We found out just minutes before the leech got away from me, I was coming to get you anyway." He sighed. His eyes trailed over me and he stood up going to his room and coming back with some sweats for me to change into. "These will be huge on you, but, it's all I've got." I realized then that I was ridiculously cold still. I stood and took the clothes from Jake heading into the bathroom and peeling out of the wet clothes that clung to my body. The shirt and sweatpants he gave me were enormous, but, better than my cold sodden clothes. I went back into the living room. Jacob was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. I went to sit behind him and gently put my hand on his shoulder. He tenderly took my hand, spraying it with an antiseptic and bandaging it efficiently.

"Thank you." I breathed the word out. Jacob took my hand and held it to his face for a minute before turning to look at me. "Thank you for saving me, and for lending me some clothes. I feel bad always having such a fuss made over me. Especially when you should all be at the hospital." Jacob smiled; it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"We wouldn't all fit in the hospital anyway." He joked half-heartedly. "You don't ever need to thank me for saving you. I'm lucky I got you away from her. It was a gamble, because she could have attacked me as I tried to get you to shore, but, her self-preservation always seems most important. I was hoping she would flee and that is what she appears to have done."

"All the same, I would be dead if it weren't for you." He turned a bit more and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his warm embrace. I sighed still freezing as I was, it felt amazing.

"I don't know what I would do without you." He mumbled into my shoulder. I hugged him a little tighter for a minute before I reluctantly let go.

"You're stuck with me Jake, even if you get sick of me, I'll still be around." I assured him. He took my hands in his looking at me seriously.

"Why do you say things like that? It's not like one day I'll just decide I don't like you anymore." I drew in a breath and sighed it out.

"It's happened before." He squeezed my hands gently.

"I'm not him Bella; I'd _never_ do that to you."

"He promised me the same thing once." I blinked and looked away from Jacob, unable to hold his earnest gaze. "I don't know what's wrong with me." I whispered.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong with you Bella!" Jacob insisted.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong. Do you know why I brought you those bikes to fix?" I asked. I looked back at him and he shook his head no. "It was so I could hear his voice. Whenever I do something unsafe, or adrenaline inducing, I hear his voice. It's crystal clear and perfect, not like my memories of it. He's always mad at me, of course, but the voice is there. And in those moments, I almost feel whole again. Sometimes I can barely breathe I feel so broken." I admitted. Jacob just sat listening, and I appreciated that. "Just today I was going to go cliff jumping, without you, to hear his voice."

"Why didn't you?" Jacob asked. I shrugged.

"It didn't feel like the right time. The wind practically blew me back and I looked up at the sky. It looked like a storm was coming. I decided it was a bad idea."

"It would have been a very bad idea. The water was getting rough; you would have had a tough time fighting the current. I'm glad you didn't do it." I sighed and dropped my head onto Jacob's shoulder.

"I don't deserve you." I whispered. "All you do is care for me, and think of me and me – I'm just selfish." Jacob's hand ran gently over my back.

"I'm not as selfless as you're making me out to be."

"I'll never be what you want Jake. I'll always be this fractured half person. I'll always be pining stupidly over the boy that left me as easily as you leave trash in the garbage. You deserve better than that, you deserve someone whole, and who will love you back fully." Jacob pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes.

"I will be with you until you're whole again. And it really is up to you Bella. You can be hurt and half of a person or you can fight past it. It's not up to me to put you back together, it's up to you. I think you've been doing so well lately! I'm here, always here, if you want to talk, or just need someone around to feel less alone. I'm here Bella. I'm here." Jacob was here. _He_ wasn't and he never would be again. I took in a deep breath thinking over what Jacob had just said to me. Maybe I did put too much stock into other people. Maybe I didn't need Jacob to make me well again. Maybe I needed to be strong on my own. Because even though Jacob was promising me forever, I couldn't trust it, and what would I do without him? Fall apart again? I couldn't do that. Not to myself and not to Charlie.

"You're right Jake. You can add five years onto your age for being way smarter than I am." He grinned. "Maybe I do rely on other people too much, I should be able to stand alone, but, somehow, I can't."

"You used to, before…well, before. You were your own person. You'll get back there Bells, I know it!" I smiled at his optimism and felt grateful that he was my friend.

"Thank you Jacob, and don't just shrug it off, I mean it." He grinned before he let my hands go and rested his back against the couch. He grabbed for the remote and turned the TV on flipping through channels until he found some cooking show to watch. I sighed and lay down; now that the adrenaline had long since left my system I was tired. I reached out and slung an arm around Jacob's neck. Wanting to borrow some of his heat, but also wanting him to know that I appreciated the talk we just had. He turned his head to look at me, a small smile on his face. He drew his knees up and pulled me a little closer, lacing the fingers of his opposite hand with mine. I curled into his warmth and within moments I was asleep.

I woke up to the sound of the door opening. Jake was still in the same position, but his head was tilted back, he was sleeping too. I blinked at figure of Billy rolling into the house. I sat up and shook Jacob awake at the same time. I could tell from the sad look in his eyes that Harry hadn't made it. "Oh, Billy," I tried to keep my voice from breaking. He looked over at Jake and me and just sadly nodded before rolling off to his room. Without thinking my arms went around Jake's neck and I hugged him gently from behind. He took my hand again and pressed it to his face. I could feel the tears there. The whole community would affected by Harry's death it was so tight knit. My thoughts flashed to Charlie. One of his best friends was gone. "Can I go home Jake? I want to be there for Charlie." Jacob held me closer for a second before releasing me.

"Let me go phase and see if there is any news on the vamp first, I also need to go get your truck, it's still at the beach. Either way I won't leave you alone after today. I'll check in on Billy and see if he's alright too." He got up and headed to his dad's room, he knocked on the door before letting himself in. I heard a muted conversation, only picking up words here and there. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. A couple minutes later Jake reappeared he threw me a sad look before he headed out the back door. It felt weird to be in the house without him. Billy's grief was palpable in the air. I tried not to cry, knowing that I would need to be strong. Jacob didn't take very long and was back before I had too much time to think. He held his hand out to me. I took it and grabbed up my still damp clothes, which I had folded and left by the door, as we exited the house. I followed him to the truck and easily got into the passenger side. I was still fairly tired, and trusted Jake more than myself to get me home.

"So, was there any news from the pack?" I asked after the truck roared to life and Jake backed it up slowly. I tried not to shiver, but it was chilly outside. Jake noticed the movement and pulled me easily to his side. I gratefully leant into his warmth.

"She's gone. We have no idea where she is, but, we'll keep you safe Bells. I promise." I nodded against his shoulder.

"And Billy is he okay?" I asked. Jacob sighed and pulled me a little closer to him.

"He will be…he just needs some time alone. I'll have one of the guys check on him tonight."

"You don't need to stay with me. If Billy needs you, you should be with him." Jacob looked over at me briefly.

"Billy doesn't have a bloodthirsty vampire after him. And if he did, the Res is the safest place for him. She got too close today Bella, much too close for comfort. I'm sticking around until she's gone and you're safe." I shuddered and felt selfishly relieved that I didn't have to worry about him leaving me. We were quiet for the rest of the ride, the silence ringing around us as Jacob turned the truck off. Jacob put his other arm around me and pulled me into a full hug. "Sorry. I know you don't feel exactly the way I do, Bells. I swear I don't mind. I'm just so glad you're okay that I could sing – and that's something no one wants to hear." He laughed at his own joke. I wondered where the comment had come from. I wondered to myself if it was really worth it to keep pushing Jake away? Jake rested his cheek on my head and I drew in a breath. If Edward could leave me behind to go and be happy, shouldn't I do the same? I was starting to think that maybe what I had with Edward wasn't love after all. I knew that if I turned my head, and pressed my lips to his shoulder, everything that followed would be easy. Loving Jake, fully, would be easy as breathing. So I did. My lips pressed gently into Jake's shoulder in a soft kiss.

"I might not feel the same as you, but, it would be so easy to feel that way Jake. I'm done holding onto the past, holding on to someone who broke me and never looked back."

"Do you really mean that?" He asked breathlessly. I nodded. His gaze flickered to my lips and then back up to my eyes. He slowly drew closer. My heartbeat sped up, and I closed the distance, bringing our lips together. It was weird; I had only ever kissed _him_ – Edward. I forced myself to think the name, letting his power over me weaken. I had only ever kissed Edward, and it was an entirely different experience. His lips were cold, and unyielding, kind of like kissing a statue. Jake was warm, and his lips were soft under mine. It didn't last overly long before I drew back, looking at Jacob uncertainly.

"I don't know if I'm ready to fully commit to anything, but, I'm tired of holding back, and tired of hurting you." Jake smiled and reached his hand out to my face, rubbing his thumb gently over my cheek.

"Take your time Bella. I'm not going anywhere." He vowed. I turned my head and pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand before taking it with my own, and following Jake out of the truck. We had gotten home before Charlie and I immediately went to the kitchen to fix food. Jacob followed me and sat at the table, watching me as I threw together a casserole and popped it in the oven. Jacob caught my hand and pulled me onto his lap as I passed him to start the dishes. I looked up at him curiously. "I'm worried." I waited for him to elaborate. "I don't know how to make any of this better for my Dad. I was young when my mom died, and it was different you know? My sisters were there…" I nodded in understanding. I was no grief counsellor myself.

"He's your dad Jake; you'll know what to do." I assured him. It was at that moment that I heard Charlie's cruiser pull into the driveway; I pushed up off of Jacob and went to open the door for him. He looked tired. "Hey Dad, I'm sorry about Harry." He uncharacteristically pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks Bella, I'm really going to miss him. " I nodded and stepped back to let him into the house.

"How's Sue doing?"

"She seems dazed, like she hasn't grasped it yet. Sam's staying with her…" His voice trailed off for a moment. "Those poor kids. Leah's just a year older than you, and Seth is only fourteen." I nodded sympathetically.

"Dad, I hope you don't mind, but Jake is here." He looked confused for a minute.

"Surely he should be with Billy?" Jake appeared in the hall and drew Charlie into a brief hug.

"Billy wants to be alone Charlie. I'm sorry about Harry too; I know you two were close." Charlie nodded. "I had to drive Bella home too; she had an accident at the beach today." Charlie looked unsurprised but then looked at me, dressed in Jacob's clothes.

"What happened?" He asked, we all made our way to the kitchen and sat at the table. I looked at Jake; we hadn't come up with a cover story.

"Well, you know Bella. She fell, got a rock stuck in her hand, and then went to go wash the cut out, and stumbled into the water." He shook his head at me, and I played along.

"Somehow I got pulled out into the water, it was rough waves today. Anyway, Jake had to come in after me, but, I'm fine." Charlie looked at me and sighed.

"I wish you would be more careful Bella." I shrugged and looked apologetic. Thankful that Charlie believed I was clumsy enough to accidentally get pulled into the tide. "Thanks for looking out for my girl Jake. I don't know where she'd be without you." The timer for the oven interrupted us and I pulled the casserole out.

"Are you hungry Dad? I made dinner." I offered. He shrugged. I dished up three helpings anyway and sat back down. We ate in near silence and I jumped when Charlie stood.

"Thanks Bella, I didn't realize how hungry I was. I'll clean up if you kids want to find something to watch on TV."

"I can clean up Dad!" He shook his head and waved us out of the kitchen. I guessed Charlie needed some time too. I sat next to Jake on the couch and flipped the TV on, finding a news channel and letting it play in the background without much thought. Jacob put his arm around me, and I gratefully melted into his side. We didn't talk, just sat in the near silence. Charlie entered the living room after finishing the dishes. He briefly raised his eyebrow at Jake sitting so close to me. I shrugged and he collapsed into his recliner with a sigh. We all sat through the remainder of the news and the start of a sitcom following the news before Charlie stood.

"I'm beat; I think I'll head off to bed." Charlie's voice sounded gravelly. I nodded and stood giving him a hug.

"I'll probably head up to bed soon too Dad, do you mind if Jake stays tonight?" Again that raised eyebrow as he looked over Jake.

"I don't mind, as long as it's okay with Billy. You can make up the couch for him." I knew I would hear more about this after Jacob left, but Charlie seemed too tired to fight about anything. He trudged off up the stairs and I went to get some blankets and a pillow for Jake.

"Thanks Bells, you know I don't need blankets though." Jacob smiled at me from where he sat on the couch.

"It makes a nice visual for Charlie to believe you're normal though." He nodded and I sat back down next to him.

"How's your hand?" He asked, casually taking said hand and flipping it over, he looked like he could see through the bandage. It wasn't so bad. I had mostly forgotten about it.

"I had some amazing first aid, so, it's fine." Jake grinned at my stupid joke. "I should go shower and get to bed, it's been a long day."

"It has," Jake agreed. "Would you sleep down here? I don't like the thought of being away from you right now." He asked with an indefinably intense look crossing his features.

"Uh, sure Jake, I'll be back down soon." I quietly ascended the stairs and grabbed my toiletry bag from my room before heading to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth while I waited for the shower to heat up. I stepped into the warm spray and sighed. I took my time washing the day from my body, the heat from the shower reminded me of Jacob and I found myself blushing for some reason at the thought. I quickly towelled off and hauled a brush through my snarled hair, before throwing on some pajamas and heading down the stairs. Jake was still sitting on the couch and smiled softly at me as I re-entered the room. He held his hands out and pulled me onto his lap again.

"Feel better after your shower?" He asked. I nodded. "I…I don't want to scare you off Bella, because we've worked so hard to get to where we are, but, I'm excited! I'm excited about us, and I know you need some more time, but, I can be patient." He assured me. I smiled a rare, true smile, and placed a hand on his beautiful face.

"I just need to know that I'm strong enough alone, you know? I just need a bit of time to self-reflect." Jacob nodded, all the same I couldn't quite fight the pull I was feeling to lean up and capture his lips with mine; my actions an exact counterpoint to my words. It was a little more heated than the kiss in my truck had been. My hand slid up into his hair and he gripped me closely to him. I felt an unfamiliar heat coursing through me as his hands came rest on my hips. I slowed the kiss down and eventually pulled back from it. This was confusing. "Sorry Jake, I didn't mean to do that." He smiled at me before resting his head on my shoulder.

"I don't mind." He assured me. I laughed. His lips ghosted over my neck before he straightened up. He shifted so we were laying, cuddled together on the couch, I didn't have the heart or motivation to push him away from me. "I'll swap onto the floor before Charlie gets up."

"Charlie feels like you can do no wrong Jake, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care." I mumbled, the heat rolling off of Jacob making me tired.

"Well, I'd like to keep his opinion of me high." He laughed. I nodded against him and pushed further back into his chest. His arm settled a little more fully on top of me, and soon my vision faded into dreams – warm, happy dreams.

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**AN: Okay, so what do ya'll think? I'm dying to know! This is not my first fanfic despite what my profile says, I just like to keep my accounts separated by inspiration source. I was not confident in posting this on my main account. So leave me a review, as I'm truly curious what the twilight crowd thinks of my writing! Thanks!**


	2. At Odds

2\. At Odds

A creak on the stairs had my eyes fluttering open, my arm was hanging off the couch, my hand on Jacob's chest. He had indeed moved onto the floor at some point. I blinked my eyes open and gently withdrew my hand and sat up. Charlie had headed right to the kitchen. I stood as slowly and quietly as I could and walked to the kitchen. "Good morning," my voice was a little garbled from sleep still.

"Good morning Bella, how did you sleep?" Charlie asked.

"I slept fine, how about you?" I asked. He leant back onto the counter and faced me.

"I got what sleep I could." I nodded, sad that there was nothing I could do to help him. "So, Bella, do you have something you want to tell me about?" He asked, looking pointedly to the living room. I shrugged and looked away from him trying not to blush.

"I mean, not really no. Nothing is, like, official or anything. Would that be a problem?" I asked, looking back up at him.

"I don't want either of you hurt Bella. Just a couple of weeks ago you were broken up about him, and, I want you to really think about it before you jump into anything."

"I know, Dad, I'll be careful, I promise."

"I hope you are careful, Jacob really likes you and you don't want to give him the wrong idea." I folded my arms over my chest and frowned.

"I would never hurt him on purpose Dad." I heard Jacob moving around in the living room and shot my dad a look, begging him to drop it. He held his hands up and nodded. Jake loped into the kitchen.

"Morning, hope I wasn't snoring too loudly!" Jacob ran his hands through his hair a couple of times.

"No, Jake, you weren't snoring." Charlie laughed. Jacob looked relieved.

"I was just about to make breakfast if you're hungry." I offered. Jacob smiled, he was always hungry. I turned to the fridge and pulled out some eggs and bacon. Soon enough I had a full breakfast spread on the table and everyone was eating.

"Thank you for breakfast Bella, it was great!" My dad sent me a smile and got to his feet, taking his plate to the sink. "I'm heading over to the Clearwater's; I promised I'd be there to help with arrangements." I nodded, getting up and hugging Charlie briefly before he left the house. I turned back to face Jacob once Charlie had left, I could feel him staring at me.

"Thanks for Breakfast Bells, it was really good. I don't mind cleaning up if you want to go get ready, we should head back to the Reservation too." I nodded and was about to respond when the phone rang. I lifted the receiver.

"Hello?" There was no answer. "Hello?" I asked again. The line went dead. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and hung up the phone. "Weird." I muttered to myself. "You don't have to do the dishes Jake, they can wait till later, I'll just go get changed and we can go." He rolled his eyes at me and stood, taking his plate to the sink.

"I've got it Bella, just go get ready." I decided against arguing back and swiftly went up the stairs and into my room. I shrugged out of my pajamas and into jeans and a t-shirt. I quickly went into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face before grabbing a sweater and heading down the stairs. Half-way down the phone rang again. I hurried to get it, but Jake already had it by the time I entered the kitchen.

"Hello, Swan residence." He waited. "Hello?" He turned to look at me, confusion on his face. "Listen I know you're there, I can hear you breathing, who is this?" He furrowed his brow and hung up the phone. "Phantom caller twice in a row? That's bizarre." I looked at the sink; somehow Jake had already washed up all the dishes.

"Thanks for doing the dishes Jake, you really didn't have to." He shrugged it off. "Are you ready to go?" I asked. He nodded, before I could leave the kitchen I felt his hand take mine, and he spun me to face him, drawing me closer to him.

"So, don't be mad, I heard you and your Dad talking when I woke up. You walking past me woke me up. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but, my hearing is excellent." I huffed a breath out.

"Well, you didn't really overhear much. Charlie's just being a Dad." He nodded.

"Are you worried that you're going to hurt me?" He asked, he sounded a little breathless.

"As I said, I would never, never do it on purpose. Ever since we talked yesterday my brain has been working. Edward was always so in control, so demanding. I never really stopped to think about how I felt about it, just that it was natural given how we were. Love isn't being in perfect control all the time, love isn't restrained, and you can't just walk away from it. It makes me question if what I thought was between us was real. And, I don't think it was. You're stronger, and faster than me, and a myth just like Edward was, and you don't let that affect us…" I trailed off, trying to collect my thoughts. Jacob patient as ever, stood keeping my hand in his and waiting for me to go on. "I'm still not ready, but, I'm trying to let Edward and the Cullens go. It was a whole future, a whole family that I desperately wanted. I think I'm starting to see a different future, and a different family that I fit into." The words left my mouth quickly and had turned into a whisper by the end. Jacob's gaze blared into mine. I felt something strange, something I couldn't identify roll through me with the look he gave me - a heat, a need, a rightness in his gaze.

"I will never leave you behind; I will never let you down. I can't explain how important you are to me Bella." His voice was low and intense. Like magnets we drifted towards each other, I was soon looking up at him, holding onto his forearms with my hands. His hands cupped my elbows and he lifted me, more easily than a pillow, to his height. He easily shifted so one arm was around my waist. My arms went around his neck, I looked down for a moment, he was unbelievably tall. I was about to make a joke about how tall he was when I noticed his gaze, it was intense and mesmerising. There was something in it I didn't quite understand. I brought my mouth slowly to his, sighing and closing my eyes as our mouths met. My mind fogged up; Jacob made a low rumbling growl as I pushed myself closer. He span and pushed me up against the wall, my legs working of their own accord and wrapping around him. Just as I was about to break for breath the phone rang. It was loud, and scared me; it was right next to my head on the wall. We broke apart and I took a couple of deep breaths before Jacob reached over and handed me the phone. I was still being pressed up against the wall by his body; I had to force my breath to come out evenly as I lifted the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I sounded a little breathless despite my efforts.

"Hi Bella, is Jacob still there?" It was Billy. I nodded and realized that he couldn't see that.

"Yes, Jake is still here, we were just about to head down to the Reservation."

"Can I talk to him for a minute? I need you kids to pick a couple things while you're in town."

"Sure, sure." Billy gave a laugh at the picked up phrase as I gave the phone to Jacob. He flashed me a smile and put the phone to his ear.

"Hey," Jake answered. He held the phone in place with his shoulder and turned, plopping down onto a kitchen chair with me on his lap. He adjusted and held the phone in one hand and played with my hair with the other. "Did you sleep okay?" He nodded. He made a couple of _mhmm, yeah, uhuh, _noises – mostly listening to his Dad rather than talking. They only talked for a couple of minutes. "Okay Dad, no worries, we'll be there soon! Love you, bye!" I took the phone from him, standing and hanging it back up. "Well, I guess we'd better get going Bells." I nodded. I shrugged into my sweater and grabbed up my keys and bag as we headed out the door. Jacob easily took my hand as we walked to my truck. He opened my door for me and I hoisted myself into the truck. I let it roar to life as Jake walked around to the passenger side.

"Where do we need to stop?" I asked.

"At the grocery store, and the pharmacy, Billy gave me a bit of a list. He said he'll pay you back when we get home, if that's okay?" I nodded; it wasn't like werewolves ever had money on them. Again, Jacob took my hand as I drove us through town. It was easy, perhaps too easy, breaking down any barrier I had had with Jacob. We made our stops and got everything on Billy's list. Jacob got a few weird looks as he was wearing only cut-off jeans, a ratty t-shirt, and beat up old shoes – it wasn't warm out by any means. When I pulled out onto the highway Jake scooted a little closer to me taking my free hand and playing with it idly.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked one of my quick glances over at Jacob had seen his pensive stare. He took in a deep breath, sighing it out and shrugging.

"You, the pack, my dad, Harry – things feel more complicated today than usual."

"Why?" I asked. Jacob squeezed my hand.

"Can you pull over for a minute, there's something I need to talk to you about." I flicked on my signal and pulled off the road onto the gravel shoulder of the highway. I left the truck running, but put it in park. I shifted to look at Jacob. "I just need to explain something that is happening before you hear it from someone else, or, get the wrong idea." He seemed frazzled and that surprised me. Jake was never awkward or unsure. "Have you ever heard of the phrase imprinting?" He asked. I shook my head no. "It's a wolf thing, so, you're walking through life, totally happy and free and then suddenly you see someone, and everything shifts. Gravity isn't holding you in place, they are. And you would give anything, do anything, and be anyone that they need." He drew in a breath and looked away for a minute before catching my gaze in an unbreakable, intense stare. "It's weird because I've seen you a thousand times, and I've always liked you – you knew that – but, yesterday something changed, I don't know what, and I've never heard of it happening this way, but, I imprinted on you yesterday." I didn't know what to say, I blinked a couple of times trying to comprehend what he was telling me.

"What…?" I managed only the one word.

"I'll need to talk to the pack to see if this has ever happened and what it means. I'm sorry if it weirds you out, or you're confused by it. I can't help it."

"I'm a little confused, but, I'm not like, mad. I just need you to explain."

"The best way I can think would be to tell you a story. You wouldn't remember this, but, a while ago Sam went missing. His mother and Leah Clearwater were frantic. Putting up posters and getting the police involved. We didn't know it at the time, but, Sam had phased. He was all alone, and had no idea what was happening to him."

"Leah Clearwater?" I asked. Sam was dating and madly in love with Emily. Jake nodded and launched back into his story.

"They were dating at the time. When Sam finally managed to phase back and talk to the elders, he tried to go on with life as normal. He couldn't tell Leah what had happened, and their relationship started to fracture. It broke apart completely, as it had to, when Sam laid eyes on Emily. She was down visiting Leah – she's her cousin. They were close though, more like sisters. He imprinted on Emily, unfortunately for Leah. Sam tried to just go on as normal, but, his thoughts were consumed. If she was upset or hurt, or even happy, he could feel it. He had to break up with Leah. Emily didn't like him at first because he had broken her cousin's heart, but, the imprint is hard to resist. The level of adoration and persistence is impossible to ignore. So, Emily agreed to start seeing Sam. The rest, as they say, is history."

"How do you know you've imprinted? You've always had a thing for me, right? Maybe now that I'm coming around you're just excited and it's on your mind?" Jake smiled and shook his head at me.

"I've seen it in Sam's thoughts, what it feels like, and it's not just in my imagination Bella. When I walked into my house after Victoria almost got you yesterday and saw you…the room spun, and my heart stuttered. I blinked and when I opened my eyes everything in the room was dull, except for you. You're right, I've always cared about you, and I've always liked you, but, what's happening now is next level. That's why I couldn't leave you alone last night." I remembered the weird looks I kept catching in his eyes, his insistence that I sleep on the couch instead of in my bed, the odd magnetism I couldn't quite manage to fight against. I drew in a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay." I finally said at length.

"Okay?" He asked. I nodded. He grinned and then started laughing. I smiled at the infectious sound. "I tell you that some weird, wolf drive is attaching me to you, and you just say, okay?" I nodded.

"What should I say instead?" I asked with a laugh of my own.

"You just never cease to surprise me. Most people would be freaked out and ask a million questions and you just accept it like I asked you if you wanted to go to the beach today." He laughed again and threw his arms around me, crushing me to his chest. I smiled; it felt like the hole that had formed in my chest was healed over with Jake's exuberance. I hugged him back and couldn't help the smile that stole over my face. Jake let me go and kissed me once quickly.

"I do have questions, but, they can wait. We need to get going." Jake nodded. I couldn't help myself, I pressed my lips to his once more, the kiss was a little more drawn out and intense than I anticipated. I drew back and took in a shaky breath before firmly planting my hands on the steering wheel. I shoulder checked and pulled back out onto the road. "Once we deliver this stuff to Billy and you check in with the pack we should find somewhere to talk. This is a lot." I admitted. I saw Jake nod out of the corner of my eye.

"It doesn't really change much Bella, not for me anyway. I was always going to love you and protect you anyway; just now I don't have to worry about imprinting on someone else. I know it probably changes a couple of things for you. I hope you're not unhappy about this." I thought for a moment before I answered. I flicked my signal on, pulling off the highway and onto the turn off for the Reservation.

"I'm not unhappy, it changes things a bit, but, like you said – it's out of your control. And, if it means I get to spend more time with you of course I'm happy about that." Jacob grinned, and we didn't say much as we made our way to his house. The silence that always saturated the air when my loud truck was turned off made me feel a little uneasy for a moment.

"C'mon Bells, let's go check on Billy." I nodded. Jake grabbed up the bags and we headed into the little red house. "Hey Dad, we're home!" Jake called. Billy wheeled out of his room. His eyes were a little puffy, but, he seemed to be doing better than the night before.

"Hey kids, how was your night?" He asked I got a weird feeling that he knew something had changed.

"It was alright, didn't do much after I fed the boys we all went to sleep."

"That's good, Charlie will be here in a minute to pick me up, I was just waiting on you two to get here with the supplies. How much do I owe you Bella?" I pulled out the two receipts and Billy pulled a bill out of his wallet handing it to me.

"That's too much Billy." He shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I appreciate you running those errands for me." We heard a horn honk from outside the house, a couple seconds later Charlie was in the house.

"You ready to go Billy?" Billy nodded.

"Hey Dad, I'm planning to cook a big dinner so Sue doesn't have to worry about feeding everyone. I can bring it over tonight, let her know?" Charlie smiled at me.

"That's very thoughtful Bella, I'm sure she'll appreciate that." We chatted for a couple minutes about what Jacob and I were getting up to for the rest of the day and then our Dads were off. Jacob shrugged out of his shirt and toed off his shoes.

"I'm just going to check in with the pack quickly. I'm sure if anything interesting happened they would have called me." I nodded and went to sit on the couch as Jake went out the back door. Jake was about half an hour, and I had turned on the TV, not really paying it much attention, but appreciating the background noise. I must have been zoned out and was a little spooked when Jacob flopped onto the couch next to me. "Nothing," he declared. "She's vanished without a trace. I'll be with you until she's caught Bella, don't worry about that."

"I'm not worried." I assured him.

"So, you wanted to talk. Do you want to just talk here, or we could go for walk or something?"

"I'm okay here; I didn't know that Billy would be leaving."

"Cool," Jake smiled and turned so he was facing me. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, the imprinting obviously, it's a lot to wrap my mind around considering I just found out it could happen." Jacob nodded. "Does this mean we have to, like, get married?" I laughed; I was doing a poor job of articulating. "I mean, does imprinting always lead to a romantic relationship?"

"No, it means that I'd do anything for you." He shrugged. "We don't know too much about it, it's apparently very rare to imprint. But, no, we don't have to get married or have any sort of romantic relationship. Although…I'm hoping you'll want to." The slightest pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. My hand, as though working independently of the rest of my body, reached out and stroked his face. I thought back to how Jacob was always, always there for me. Pulling me out of the worst depression I had ever suffered through with no effort on his part, protecting me from Laurent and Victoria, and accepting me despite my weird quirks and desperation for someone else. Edward was still sitting in the back of my mind, but, I knew now that he was never right for me. I thought over our relationship, how it was so uneven, everything on Edward's side in the balance. He was gorgeous, rich, smart, and of course a vampire. I was average in every sense of the word, and felt less than when I compared myself with Edward, but I felt balanced by Jacob. We were compatible, different where it counted and the same where it counted. It was a much better balance.

It had been a couple of minutes since I had reached out and started thinking to myself. Jacob was, as ever, patient with me. "I was wrong you know?" I asked; Jacob raised an eyebrow in question. "I thought that once Edward accepted that he wanted me, and changed me, as soon as I was like him…everything would balance out. We would be on an even keel, but, I should have felt equal and like I belonged with him the whole time. I was just thinking that you always make me feel better; you always make me feel whole, rather than making me feel like I'm not enough. My time with Edward was amazing, but, I never felt like I was enough." I blinked; I hadn't realized that I had teared up while I was talking. "All I know is that you've done nothing but build me up, and with you on my side, I'll be able to heal myself." Jacob smiled a heart-stuttering beautiful smile.

"So, does this mean that you'll be my girlfriend?" His voice was low and husky and he was leaning into the hand I still hand on his face. "I would never, never leave you Bella. Never hurt you or decide that life would be better if we were apart. I would have said the same thing yesterday, before I imprinted, but, it makes it even truer. You are my life, my reason for living and if you need more time that's fine. I'm just hoping you'll accept me, and my love as it is. We can help each other Bella, complete each other." There was a conviction in his eyes when he spoke that had my heart kicking into overdrive. I leant in slightly.

"I'm yours Jake." A little tiny voice at the back of my head was urging caution. Jacob was bound to me, I never ever wanted to abuse that, or hurt him. I vowed to the little voice that I would not hurt him. I would be as invested in him as he was in me. I leant further forward and pressed my lips to his. It was soft and gentle, and something about it felt extremely right. Jacob's hand fluttered to my side and drew me closer to him. His tongue brushed over my bottom lip, I shivered. The kiss grew deeper; Jacob leant back against the arm of the couch and pulled me on top of him. I marvelled at his warmth and his strength. So different from the granite like chest that I was used to. Jake's hands slid up my shirt, resting on my back. I moaned into his mouth and felt him smile against me. I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing, but, I knew without a doubt, that this felt incredibly right.

* * *

**AN: Urgh, don't hate me for employing the use of imprinting in a fashion that doesn't make total sense. I tried to stop myself, I really did. But, you know how it goes... Thank you to my reviewer from the last chapter - eness, both for the review and the feedback much appreciated! Please don't be shy leave me a review to let me know what ya'll thought of this chapter. I have two more written, and I don't think this will be an overly long story... but you never know! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Sickly Sweet

3\. Sickly Sweet

The sun streamed into my window, shocking me awake with its warmth. I blinked rapidly and rolled out of bed tripping to the window. I threw it open and basked, disbelievingly, in the sun. My eyes snapped open at a sound down below, and Jacob was standing in my yard, looking up at me with a smile. "Can you come down?" He called softly. I nodded and held up a finger, indicating I would be a moment. I quickly went to the bathroom, and brushed my teeth and hair, before bounding down the stairs and out to see Jake. I noticed my Dad's police cruiser was already gone for the day. I turned to Jake and walked towards him, he snatched me up easily, squishing me against him in his arms. I hugged him back, inhaling his comforting scent. I pushed back and found his mouth kissing him happily. It had only been three days since Jake had confessed that he had imprinted on me, and it had been a wild three days.

"How are you?" Jake asked huskily as he pulled back from the kiss. I leant forward and kissed him quickly once more before letting Jake set me back down.

"I'm great, how are you?" I asked. He smiled and took my hand in his as we walked back into my house.

"I'm pretty good too, a bit tired, I've been running since two in the morning. I wanted to see you though."

"I'll make you breakfast." I pulled him along into the kitchen. He slumped onto a chair as I busily clanged around the kitchen. Soon enough I had breakfast ready for both of us. Jake barely breathed as he shovelled food into his mouth. I tried not to chuckle as I ate my breakfast at a more sedate pace. Jake was done way before I was and kept stealing food off my plate, I couldn't bring myself to care. When I finished Jake took our plates to the sink and quickly washed them before plopping down next to me again.

"Thanks for breakfast, Bells!" He smiled sweetly at me before resting his head on his arms on the table.

"No problem," I answered. I leant onto one of his massive shoulders and absorbed some of his warmth. He looked over his shoulder at me, a smile playing over his mouth. "Any sign of her?" I asked, referring to Victoria. He sighed and shook his head.

"She still hasn't resurfaced anywhere near here. Anyway, I wanted to see you before I headed off to sleep." I leant forward and kissed him softly.

"You could sleep here." I apparently didn't need to twist his arm too hard. He stood and pulled me up into his arms, he swiftly climbed the stairs and entered my room. He rolled us onto my bed and pulled me against his chest.

"Can you wake me up in four hours? Hopefully I won't sleep that long."

"Sleep as long as you want Jake."

"You'll stay here with me?" He asked. I nodded. I readjusted so that I was propped up on my pillows; Jake's head was resting on my stomach, his arm relaxing on my hip. I leant over to grab a book. I ran my fingers softly through his hair; he made a humming noise at the motion. I smiled and continued brushing through his hair with my fingers. I could tell when he finally fell asleep. I looked down at the boy asleep on me and felt a weird swelling in my chest. I felt an overwhelming affection for him pounding through my body. I kept one hand absently moving through Jake's soft hair, the other cracked my book open. I read for about an hour before the heat that radiated from Jake made my eyes heavy. I gently set the book aside, I shimmied down a bit. Jake sensed my movement, he rolled off of me, pulled me into his chest and stilled again, all without waking. My heavy eyes closed.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open at the feel of warm lips against my neck. Jake's eyes were filled with mischief as his eyes met mine. He brought his mouth level with mine and slid his lips against mine. My hands landed on his chest, they trailed down his abdomen, tracing the prominent muscles there. Jake flipped us so I was on top. My legs moved to straddle his torso and I pushed in close to him. His hands skimmed down my back, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of my shirt. I broke the kiss to draw in a deep breath; Jake kissed down my neck, latching on where my neck met my shoulder. His tongue swirled over my skin before he bit down gently. I hissed at the feeling, Jake's eyes flicked up to mine and he smiled against my skin.

"Well, that's one way to get woken up." I breathed out. Jake laughed; he pressed two kisses to my lips quickly.

"I couldn't help myself." Jake admitted. "You looked very serene and beautiful." I blushed at the compliment. It was evident that he clearly meant it and wasn't just trying to flatter me.

"I think you're beautiful too." I whispered. He grinned, pressing another kiss to my mouth. I could spend all day wrapped up in Jacob. Since I had given in to a relationship with him I had been happier than I'd ever been. I was mentally beating myself up for not allowing Jake in sooner. I had really only been away from him when he had to run patrol. Charlie was apprehensive when I told him I was dating Jake, but, he didn't seem to mind and did not pry, which I appreciated. I always knew that Jake was near even when he was on patrol, but, I hated when he left. I felt much safer knowing he was within an arm's reach. I let my body drape over his, and he cradled me against his chest.

"It looks like it's still pretty nice out; did you want to go for a walk with me?" Jake asked.

"Sure, I'll need to get changed, and I have to go to the bathroom." Jake nodded; he hugged me closer to him for a moment before standing with me. He gently set me on my feet.

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs." He pressed a kiss just behind my ear before he swiftly and gracefully left the room. I shut the door to my room and slid down it smiling to myself. My every nerve ending was zinging and I was sure that Jake could happily hear my heart stuttering. Having a physical relationship with someone who was not holding back was…magical. I quickly shed my sleep clothes and pulled on a casual three-quarter length sleeve top, and a pair of black shorts. I made my way to the bathroom; I quickly did what I had to and went down the stairs. Jake was finishing up an apple as I came into the kitchen. I smiled, for some reason his appetite was endearing to me. Jake pushed away from the counter he was leaning on and walked over to me. His arms easily lifted me from the floor and drew me against him gently. I nestled my face into his neck happily. We stayed in each other's embrace for a couple of short minutes before Jake put me down and led me out of the house. I locked up and took his hand as we wandered to nearby tree line. We didn't enter it, but, walked near it. After a couple minutes of silence Jake squeezed my hand. "Are you Happy Bella?" His voiced sounded unsure I looked over to him.

"Of course I'm happy Jake! Are you?" His smile lit up my world.

"Incredibly happy," he assured.

"Well good, I wouldn't feel right monopolizing the joy." We had come to a park, Jake led me to a tree and sat, I sank to the ground next to him.

"I'm sorry if this is, like, too much, but – I love you Bella! It's crazy can't eat, can't sleep thinking about you love. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to imprint on my best friend, but, I'm glad I did!" My heart stuttered at the proclamation. I smiled and lifted our joined hands to my mouth, kissing the back of his hand.

"Well, I know for a fact that you have both eaten and slept since you imprinted on me." He rolled his eyes, but still kept his smile in place. "I love you too, Jake. It's a different kind of love than I felt four days ago. That was just a platonic affection, but, something changed. Like a switch being flicked in my brain. I just want to be around you all the time, and when you leave I feel like a part of me is gone. You set my whole world alight, you know?"

"I feel the same as you." He assured me, slinging an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. "We should head down to La Push later. Emily said she needed your help with something." I nodded. I looked up at Jake and my breath caught in my throat. I had always known he was good looking, but, the way the sun was hitting him, bringing out the more subtle tones of his skin and making his black hair contrast more fully made me do a double take. His eyes opened and they were indefinably warm as they regarded me. He smiled and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I was just admiring you." He blushed slightly at my words. He leant forward and placed his forehead against mine. He was about to say something when I felt him tense. His head snapped up and his eyes scanned for something. "What is it Jake?" He took in a shallow breath.

"Vampire," He uttered. "Not Victoria, I don't know this scent. They smell so disgustingly sweet." His nose wrinkled. He pushed to his feet and kept me between the tree and himself. His head snapped to the right and he made a low growling noise, watching someone approach. He started to shake. I put a hand on his back and the tremors slowed.

"Well, hello Jacob. I must admit I'm surprised to see you. I only came back to speak with Bella, do you mind?" The clear melodious voice I had chased for months sounded from the other side of Jacob. I peeked out from behind him, looking at the cause of months' worth of misery for me.

"Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Jake." I slowly inched out from behind Jake to stand beside him, taking his hand in mine. He looked over at me, a worried look in his eyes. I nodded reassuringly at him.

"Ah, I stayed away too long it would seem. I really would appreciate being able to talk to you alone Bella."

"You lost any rights you had to her when you destroyed her. We're just getting everything fixed now. What do you want Cullen?" I had never heard Jake sound so menacing before. His hand was quivering slightly in mine.

"Destroyed her?" Edward's confused voice asked. I don't know what Jacob thought in response, but, Edward flinched at whatever it was.

"And what's more you left her vulnerable to your kind. We've had to kill one leech to keep her safe, and there is another one wreaking havoc around here." Edward finally looked at me, sadness in his golden eyes.

"I'm sorry Bella, I didn't realize. If you would just let me explain…" I shook my head cutting off his words.

"I don't care how you rationalized uprooting your entire family and making my life miserable. I'm finally, finally starting to get over you, and thinking things through for myself. I'm with Jake now. It's not something I could or would change." Edward quirked an eyebrow at my word choice and then looked back to Jake.

"Imprinted? Bella, I look away for two seconds and here you are shacked up with a baby werewolf who is just as likely to hurt you as Victoria. I thought I had over exaggerated your propensity for trouble in my mind. I'll take it from here wolf, she doesn't need you." Edward sounded incredulous and he held a hand out to me. Jacob huffed and glared at Edward.

"You really think of the two of us I'm the dangerous one? You're deluded, I would never hurt Bella."

"Bella step away from him, he's unstable." Jake was jittering a little harder in my grasp. I chucked a glare in Edward's direction and turned to look at Jake. I reached out and put a hand on his chest. The vibrations slowed.

"You've got this Jake, don't let him provoke you." He drew in a deep breath, maintaining eye contact with me. When he breathed out his shaking stopped. I kept looking at him until I was sure he was okay, and then flicked my eyes over to Edward who was standing safely in the shade of the tree line. "As I said, anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Jake. I'll just tell him everything you've said anyway.

"Bella, it really isn't appropriate for me to say what I need to in front of Jake, being that you two are an item now, I would be grateful if you would hear me out, just come and talk with me for a couple of minutes." I looked over at Jake. There was no way I could leave him to talk with Edward. I shook my head no.

"Either say it here, with both of us, or not at all. We have somewhere to be, so make your mind up." Jake squeezed my hand, and I stepped the tiniest bit closer to him, letting him know that I was on his side.

"Fine, Bella, I left because I wanted to protect you from me, and from my world. After your birthday party, when Jasper lost control, I knew I would never put you in such a position again. So, when I went to leave and you just easily accepted that I didn't love you, I left, for your betterment Bella. I can see that I was wrong; all I've done these past months is think of you, I wanted to come back a thousand times, but, I stopped myself. I should never have left in the first place Bella. If I could take it back I would. I'm asking you, to please consider me as an alternative to this pup. And if you won't, believe me when I say I won't give up. I'll wait around your whole life for you to want me instead. I'll be there when Jake slips up; I'll be there in the shadows." I gripped onto Jake tightly, my eyes narrowing as Edward got more and more conceited.

"Jake won't slip up Edward; he loves me more than you did. And I love him much more than I loved you. I'm healing because of him; I'm realizing that I'm worth something because of him. And I would not have been broken in the first place if it weren't for you. You should have stayed away Edward. I don't need or want you here." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose at my comment.

"Regardless Bella, I'll be here. I truly can't apologize enough for what I did. It was selfish and stupid. And Jake, I'll never be able to thank you enough for taking care of her. Like it or not, I'm not leaving again, I need you in my world like you need air to breathe. I'll see you around." The parting line was not delivered in a cheerful manner, as it usually was. It was eerie and uncomfortable. When he vanished back into the trees I sank into Jacob's side. He crushed me against him, he was breathing very hard.

"I hate that leech." He huffed. "Are you okay Bella?" I looked up at him and he cradled my face gently.

"I'm…weird. That was weird. I never expected to see him again. And I'm mad; he's such an arrogant asshole! Are you okay Jake?" He nodded.

"I'm very thankful he didn't come back sooner. You would have gone back to him before we started dating." It wasn't a question, and I knew I couldn't deny that he was right. "I'm shocked that you said you love me more than you loved him." My eyes softened and my palm rested against Jake's face.

"Why?"

"He was your first love." He shrugged. "You were so torn up and broken over him that I thought if I ever got you to fall for me it would be a fraction of the affection you had for him. I'm glad I was wrong."

"I meant what I said Jake. He broke me; he made me so dependent on him and then vanished without a trace. I need you, but, it isn't the same. It's healthier, and I feel happier than I knew I could be." Jake leant down and pressed his lips to mine.

"I love you." He whispered against my lips. I smiled and pressed deeper into a kiss.

"I love you too, Jake, only you." Before anything could get out of hand in the public park we were in, I stepped slightly back. "We should get down to the Res. I'm sure you need to let the guys know that Edward is back." Jake nodded. We started wandering back to my house. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway, and he seemed unsurprised when Jake and I walked into the house holding hands.

"Hey Bella, hey Jake, you two enjoying the weather today?" I nodded. Jake sat easily on the couch and pulled me down next to him.

"It's always a surprise to wake up to the sun shining." I commented. Charlie smirked and nodded. "I have something to tell you Dad. Jake and I were out at the park and out of the Blue Edward showed up." Charlie spat out the sip of beer he had just taken.

"Edward is back in town?" He asked swiping at his chin. I nodded. "He better not be planning on giving you any trouble."

"Bella made it pretty clear that she was not interested. All the same I'm not keen on having him anywhere near her." Jacob interjected.

"I just wanted you to know in case he showed up here or you saw him somewhere. It's really okay Dad. It doesn't change anything. I won't forgive him."

"That's my girl!" Charlie seemed genuinely pleased by my answer. I smiled back at him and again felt really right in my choice of Jacob.

"Are you okay to eat left-overs for dinner? Or order something? Emily needs help with something, apparently, down on the Reservation, so Jake and I were going to head down there."

"Sure, I can take care of myself Bells." He laughed.

"Alright, we'll get going then. If it gets too late I might just ask Emily if I can stay over, would you mind?"

"No, that's fine, have fun Bells! Just give me a call if you decide to stay the night, alright?" I assured him I would and Jake and I headed out the front door, we got into my truck and I turned the key in the ignition. It roared to life and I easily set us on the path to La Push. Jake took my hand as he often did when I was driving.

"What are you thinking about?" Jake asked squeezing my hand. I realized we had been sitting in near silence for almost ten minutes. I shrugged and looked over at him briefly.

"It's just been a weird day. Do you have to run patrol tonight?" I asked. Jake shook his head no.

"I run for a couple of hours this evening, and then I'm off until tomorrow night."

"Can I stay with you tonight? I don't want to go back to Forks. Edward saying he'll always be there kind of has me on edge. I trust that he will leave Charlie alone, and you guys are up by my place too, keeping an eye out for Victoria, right?" Jake nodded.

"Of course you can stay Bella. Billy won't mind, and I'll make sure he doesn't tell Charlie. We'll make sure he's safe, don't worry about that. I don't want you to be worried either. I won't let him near you if you don't want him around."

"Of course I don't want him around." I flicked on my signal and turned into the Reservation. I drove straight to Jacob and Billy's house. Billy opened the door and rolled out onto the tiny front deck when we arrived.

"Nice to see you two!" He called. We walked closer to the house, Jacob's hand invariably finding mine. Billy was over the moon happy that Jake and I were a thing, and it made me grateful that he already thought of me as family. "The pack has been calling for you Jake." He carefully kept his eyes away from me as he talked.

"We already know about Edward, if that's what the issue is. He found us earlier today. I'm going to drop Bella off at Sam and Emily's and then I'll go talk to the pack." Billy's eyes widened as Jake talked.

"Are you two alright?" He asked.

"Fine, Edward was just trying to talk me into taking him back, I told him it wasn't happening. Nothing bad happened." Billy looked slightly relieved.

"Well that's good then. You two come on back here later, I feel like I haven't seen you around the last couple of days!" We promised we would be back and left on foot for Emily's. Jake slung me easily up into his arms and broke into a run.

"The sooner I catch up with the pack the sooner I can get back to you." He explained at my raised eyebrow. He didn't break a sweat or get even the tiniest bit out breath even though he was running full tilt with me in his arms.

"Does Emily actually need my help with something?" I asked. Jake shrugged.

"She said she wanted to talk to you, I didn't really ask her too much about it." He slowed to a jog as the quaint little house came into view. He set me back on my feet, never breaking stride and making it so I didn't either. He knocked on the door. Emily appeared within moments and smiled at us.

"Hello Jake, hello Bella, come on in! Jake, your brothers are waiting for you." Jake nodded and understood the dismissal. He pulled me closer to him and kissed me soundly.

"I'll be back soon Bells." He whispered.

"I'll be fine Jake, take your time!" I leant up to press my lips to his one last time before he shot me a smile and jogged away. I turned back to Emily who had watched the exchange happily. She stepped back and gestured for me to come in. I walked in and sat at the table. Emily offered me a cookie off a plate she placed on the table. She sat across from me with a smile. "I was a little surprised that you wanted my help with something." I admitted.

"Well, I do need your help, but, I also wanted to talk to you. You're the only other person like me. No one else knows what it feels like to be imprinted on. I wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you want to talk about it, or need advice, or if you're overwhelmed. I was when it first happened, you know?" I leant forward, listening. "I was mad as hell at Sam. He sounded absolutely crazy when he told me what he was, and what had happened when he saw me. But, he completes me, absolutely and fully. If I would have been a little less resistant I might not have had this accident." She indicated the half of her face that was forever marred by an untimely transformation. "It's weird, but, it's part of the reason that I gave in to loving Sam. He was so mad at himself for this. He still is. It's weird, I hardly knew him, and yet, I knew I couldn't bear to be without him."

"Do you feel a pull towards him? Before Jake imprinted on me I had never really considered him romantically at all, and then, there was this…magnetism that I couldn't fight if I wanted to." Emily nodded.

"It was like that for me too. It was easier for me to push away because I didn't know Sam at the time. You and Jake were already so close. He's so happy Bella. He's always been kind of a sunshine boy, but, these past couple of days he's glowing from the inside out. It makes me very happy to see. And you, you're looking so much better than the day I first met you! It can be hard to accept magic like this exists, but, I'm so happy it does." I nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. "Do you know, about Edward?" She asked. I nodded.

"Jake and I were out, sitting under a tree at a park and he just appeared out of nowhere. He tried to explain why he left. He got mad that I was with someone else. He insulted Jake and pretty much said he's going to stalk me until I change my mind, which will never happen." I shook my head and bit aggressively into a cookie. "Like, who does he think he is anyway? He left me, not the other way around. He shouldn't be surprised when he comes back and I haven't stayed in one place the entire time. He tried to tell me Jake was dangerous." Emily narrowed her eyes.

"As if he isn't?"

"Jake pointed that out, he wasn't happy. It's shitty timing, but, it doesn't affect anything."

"I'm glad to hear you say that Bella." Emily smiled at me. "Now, I did need your help. I made something for Sue, Leah, and Seth, but, I can't go over there. Leah hates me, and I can't blame her for that. She'll find out the truth soon enough. But, for now, I need you to take this over the Clearwater's and talk to Sue for me." I had many questions, but, I just sat and listened while Emily told me what she had made, why she had made it, and what she wanted me to say. She had made a dream catcher, huge and intricate. She said that losing family was a waking nightmare and that she wanted to bring them some peace. I agreed I would take it over in the morning. We sat around chatting, talking mostly about Sam and Jake, for a couple of hours. Finally a knock at the door broke our flow of conversation. Jake entered without waiting for a response. His face lit up as he saw me. My heart stuttered.

"Are you ready to go Bella?" Jake asked I nodded; I thanked Emily for having me, promised I would deliver the dream catcher and that I would be back to see her again soon. Jake wasted no time in sweeping me up into his arms as we left the house. He didn't break into a run though, just walked and held me close. "It's still early; did you want to hang out in the garage for a while?" He asked. "We can go in and visit Billy in a bit. I missed you." Something in the way he said he had missed me sent shivers down my spine.

"We can hang out in the garage for a bit if you want." He grinned down at me and bent his head to kiss me quickly.

"I want you." His husky declaration had my heart pounding and blood heating up.

"I want you too."

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**AN: Hello, hello, hello! Three days three chapters. I probably won't post again until early next week, but, we'll see what I have time for. Thanks to my tw reviewers since the last update! :) Please lemme know what you thought of this chapter! Thanks for reading! **


	4. Not Perfect

**AN: Lemme warn you that this chapter is very much in the M category. If you do not like mature content, or should not be reading it, kindly skip the start of this chapter. I'll put *** When the bulk of the mature content is done. Carry on.**

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4\. Not Perfect

The journey to Jake's garage was quick and, in my case, frantic. I wanted him, but, I was scared. I'd never done this before. Jake set me on my feet when the structure came into view, his hand not leaving mine. Within seconds we were inside. Jake had shut the door and flicked on a lamp, making the light in the room diffuse and intimate. He pulled me towards him and looked down at me, a hungry look on his face. I stretched onto my toes and pressed a kiss to his jaw. He held me to his chest and backed up until he was sitting on the bench of disused cars seats he had. "You're nervous." Jake said quietly. I nodded. "Bella, I know that we haven't been together long, but, you know you can trust me. I won't hurt you, and I won't do anything you don't want me to." I nodded again.

"I've just never…" I trailed off mildly embarrassed. Jake smiled and pressed his lips to mine.

"I haven't either. So, we'll figure it out together." He smiled and I felt a bit of my nervous energy dissipate. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, Jake." My lips pressed onto his and I sighed as his hands ran up and down my back. Jake was already shirtless, as he often was, and I ran my hands down from his shoulders onto his chest. The sudden need I had to feel his warmth surround me took me off guard. I pressed closer to him. He gently started lifting my shirt, and we separated to free my body of it. His eyes didn't leave mine as he pulled me close again and sealed his lips over mine. I kicked my shoes off and moved to straddle him. My fingers delved into his hair and I squirmed to get closer to him, to his warmth. His hands splayed over my back and pushed me closer, as if reading my mind. I reached behind me and undid the clasp of my bra, sliding it from my shoulder. I watched as Jake's eyes grew, if possible, even darker. His hands moved to replace the now discarded fabric. I sucked in a breath at the feeling. I had never been touched like this before. Jake's eyes were soft on mine, pleading for permission. I nodded my head and he kissed his way down my neck, he sucked lightly where he had previously bitten me. I shuddered; I felt his lips curve up against my skin. His teeth lightly grazed my shoulder before he trailed his lips lower.

My breath stopped as his mouth found my nipple, swirling his tongue over it and drawing a low moan from me. My breathing grew ragged as he switched from left to right, an unfamiliar warmth pooling in my stomach. Jake kissed his way back to my mouth, pulling my bare chest to his. I gasped into his mouth as my over-sensitized skin met his. He stood with me in his arms and I wrapped my legs around him. He took a couple of steps and set me on the hood of his car. He kissed me twice, quickly, and stepped away. I raised an eyebrow at him. He opened his car door and leant in to the car searching around for something. A minute later he was out, he held a blanket and something shiny in one hand. He snapped the blanket open over the garage floor and walked back towards me. The shiny square was a condom I saw upon closer inspection. I was grateful he had thought of it, my brain was too fogged over to think of much.

"I'm sorry I don't have a fancier set up." Jake breathed as leant over me. I shook my head.

"I don't mind. This is kinda where we became us, if you think about it." Jake smiled a heart-wrenchingly beautiful smile.

"I hadn't thought of that, you're right." His lips found mine again. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked breathlessly a couple minutes later. I nodded.

"You're ready for this?" I asked. Jake laughed and nodded emphatically. He lifted me into his arms, taking the few short steps over to the blanket on the floor. He set me down gently, so gently. His long arms held me to him while his eyes scanned over my face, as if memorising it. He shifted, his hands running down my sides. Resting on my waist and then sliding lower to rest on the top of my shorts. I leant forward and pressed a kiss to the centre of his chest. My hands followed the same path on him as I leant back. I undid his shorts and pushed them from his body. I couldn't look down; I kept my gaze on his. He unbuttoned my shorts and slid them down my legs along with my underwear, they pooled at my feet. I stepped out of them, nudging them aside with my foot.

I didn't know where my sense of confidence was coming from, but I felt no embarrassment when Jake took my hands and held them out to the side as he stepped back, his eye contact finally breaking from me and sweeping over my body. I watched his face as his eyes panned my body before letting my eyes rove down and over him. There was really only a small fraction of him that I hadn't seen before as he favoured cut off shorts as his entire wardrobe. I let go of one of Jake's hands and reached out, experimentally running my palm along his length. He drew in a sharp breath at the motion. My eyes snapped up to his and he was watching me with an intense expression. Jake knelt down and I followed suit. I found the condom that Jake had dropped from his grasp earlier. I opened it and slowly slid it over him and into place.

Jake caught my hands then and brought them around his neck as he pulled me to him, kissing me soundly. I fought the shudder that wanted to roll through my body as Jake gently laid me onto the blanket and leant over me. "Ah, Bella, you're perfect." He whispered out.

"You are too." He smiled. He kept himself up on one fore arm and ran the other hand down my body. His eyes searching mine as his fingers tentatively hovered over my sex. I gave a quick nod and pushed my mouth up to his and he gently stroked over my folds, finally dipping into the wet interior. I moaned as his fingers hit my bundle of nerves. His fingers worked over me, a bit uncertainly before he slid two fingers into me. His mouth muffled my loud moan. "Please, Jake," I whimpered against his lips. He withdrew his fingers, and drew back from kissing me as he centered himself and pushed in ever so slowly. My breath caught. It hurt. I waited until he had stopped moving to open my eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"It's a bit uncomfortable." I admitted. "Just give me a second." I could feel my body accommodating him, and the pain grew less and less. I brought my hands to frame Jacob's face and nodded that he could go. I brought his lips to mine as he delicately started pumping back and forth. The pain didn't last and soon turned into the opposite of pain. My breathing became uneven and laboured as the warmth in my belly from before expanded and I felt such a sense of urgency and need. I slid a hand between us and flicked my fingers over myself as Jake had done earlier. Jake kissed his way from the side of my mouth down to my jaw, and then down to my shoulder. My hand flicked ever faster. My blood ran quickly and loudly in my veins. My whole body was sensation and it soon came to an erupting apex. "Jake!" I hissed out as the world collapsed around me. I was aware of a pain in my shoulder, but, that just intensified my pleasure as the feeling began to ebb. Jake pumped in and out a couple more times before he stilled over me, his face intense. He collapsed over me and drew in a couple of breaths before he rolled off of me, pulling me close.

*******"Holy shit, Bells." He breathed. "That was…" He smiled and pulled my face to his, kissing me softly. I kissed him back pulling myself as close as possible. "Are you okay?" He asked against my lips. I smiled and nodded.

"I'm better than okay." I assured him.

"I should have warned you that I was probably going to bite you…it's a wolf thing." He sighed and ran his fingers gently over the bite mark I hadn't noticed.

"A kind of physical imprint," I mumbled. He smiled and pushed his lips back to mine.

"I love you." He practically growled.

"I love you." I answered. "I don't want this moment to end, but, I also don't want Billy to come looking for us." I sighed. Jake drew me close for a moment, deeply inhaling before letting me go. He pushed up and off the ground with me in his arms before setting me down gently. I looked around for my clothes, which were strewn everywhere. I pulled on my shorts and underwear, and walked to where my bra and shirt were; quickly pulling them back onto my body. By the time I had my clothes back in place and looked back at Jake; he was already in his shorts and cleaning up. He folded the blanket and chucked it into his car. I sat on the seats and pulled my shoes back on. I was grateful that I had a hair tie to put my hair up, as I was certain it would be an absolute mess. Jake came to kneel in front of me, I placed my hands gently on his face and admired him. He was so kind, patient, and caring, plus he looked like a god. I wondered how I ever got so lucky.

"Thank you," Jake smiled, "For trusting me with that, and for making me stupidly happy." I shook my head before leaning forward and kissing him.

"You had to put some trust in me too, and I'm over the moon right now." He grinned and pressed another kiss to my mouth.

"I don't want to leave this garage. I don't want to think about all the other people and responsibilities that are out there. I just want to be with you." I smiled and scooted closer to Jake wrapping my arms around him.

"We have time, loads of time, to do that over and over again. I wish we could stay in here too, but, for one thing, Billy, and for another I kind of have to pee." Jake laughed as he hugged me tighter. He stood with me in his arms, walking with me to the door of the garage. He set me on my feet, but kept hold of my hand as we walked to his house.

"Hey Dad, we're back!" Jake called as we entered. Billy looked up from the book he was reading at the kitchen table and smiled.

"How was Emily?" He asked me. I remembered briefly that I had left her dream catcher in the garage. I'd have to go get it later.

"She was good; it was nice getting to know her better." Billy nodded. "If you'll excuse me for a minute I need to use the bathroom." I finally let go of Jake's hand and felt unbearably cold as I walked to the bathroom. I quickly went pee and washed up a bit before heading back to the kitchen.

"So, Dad, you don't mind if Bella stays over tonight, do you?" He asked Billy chuckled and shook his head no.

"Where does Charlie think you're staying?" He asked. I blushed a bit as I sat next to Jake.

"At Emily's place; that reminds me, can I borrow your phone?" Billy rolled back and picked up the phone, handing it to me. I quickly dialed the number for home and waited as it rang. Charlie answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad, it's me."

"Hey Bells, how are you?"

"I'm good, listen I think I'll just stay on the Reservation tonight. I'll call you in the morning when I know what I'm up to."

"Sounds good, tell Billy I said hi!" I made a sputtering noise. "You're calling me from Jacob's right?" He asked. I sighed and slumped my shoulders forward in defeat.

"Yes." To my surprise he just laughed from the other side of the phone.

"Bella, I can tell how happy Jake makes you, and, I know how smart you are. I trust you kid!" I smiled.

"Thanks Dad! I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Night Bells!" He hung up the phone and I passed it back to Billy. He hung up on our end and I noticed Jake and Billy were both staring at me.

"Uhm, Charlie says hi." I laughed. Billy looked a little relieved that he wouldn't need to lie to my Father. We sat around the kitchen table, Jake eating various snacks the entire time, for hours talking about the pack and life in general, until Billy looked at the clock.

"Wow, time flies huh? It's midnight already. I don't know about you two, but, I'm beat, I'm off to bed."

"Night Dad!" Jake smiled. "I'm going to wash up quickly." He pushed back from the table and padded off to the bathroom. Billy rolled toward me and put his hand on my face, in a bit of an odd gesture. His gaze was full of joy and a paternal pride.

"I'm thankful for you Bella, my boy has never been happier. I know Edward is back, and you didn't even give it a second thought. That will mean the world to him. It means the world to me." He nodded. "Goodnight Bella," He was practically whispering by that point. I leant forward and gave him a hug, feeling on the verge of tears.

"Goodnight Billy, thank you." He smiled and rolled off towards his room. I sat a little dumbfounded at the table until Jake returned. He put his hands on my shoulders and massaged lightly. I leant into his touch and smiled.

"He's right you know?" Jake asked.

"Hmm?"

"It does mean everything to me that when Cullen showed up there was no question what you would do. You just told him to fuck off. I was scared." He admitted. I turned to look at him. I stood and took his hand leading him over the couch in the living room. Out of habit Jake picked up the remote and flicked the channel to some movie that looked to be mid-way through already.

"Don't ever be scared that I'll leave you. I need you just as much as you need me." I told him. "Ever since you imprinted on me I've felt this magnetism towards you, before you even told me. I don't want to be without you, ever." Jake crushed me to his chest and placed a kiss on the top of my head. I settled into his arms, onto his chest, happily. "Sometimes I feel like I can never be close enough." I whispered. Jake chucked and squeezed me tighter.

"I know the feeling." I sighed happily and pressed a kiss to Jake's chest before focusing on the TV. The movie that was playing was some stupid rom-com, but, I found that I could watch it without pain lancing through me. Something I wouldn't have been able to do a week ago. We watched the end of the movie and then Jake stood, carrying me to his room. "Do you want something to change into?" He asked. I nodded and he turned to his dresser, pulling out an oversized shirt and sweats, much like last time. I quickly pulled off my clothes and pulled his on.

We settled on to his bed, extremely close due to the size of it, but, I in no way minded. I felt so safe, and so secure in Jake's arms. I knew without a doubt that he would keep me safe, and he would never hurt me. My heart swelled at the thought. I leant up and kissed him softly. "Thank you Jake." I whispered. One of his eyebrows lifted in question. "For making me see what love really is, for keeping me safe, and sane. You never gave up on me, and I have no idea where I would be without you." Jake didn't say anything but wrapped his arms around me, one of his hands moving in soothing circles over my back. "I don't know how you manage to be so perfect all the time." I whispered. Jake chuckled.

"I'm not perfect Bells. We're just perfect for each other. I think that's why we imprint, your soul finds its perfect match, and it doesn't ever want to let go. Maybe something in me changed when you almost died, maybe something in you changed, it doesn't matter which. I'm not happy about how it happened, but I am happy it happened." I smiled, kissing Jake ferociously following his statement. Before I could even think of taking it forward I yawned. Jake cradled my face in his hands and leant up to kiss me. "Bed time beautiful," He announced. I nodded and we shifted into a spooning cuddle, Jake's radiating warmth all around me.

"I love you." I whispered. Jake tightened his arms fractionally.

"I love you too, Bells."

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I awoke in the morning with an unfamiliar twinge in my body. I couldn't place it until I became aware of the heat pouring onto me from all sides. I remembered with a smile the night before, in Jake's garage. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes. It was overcast; I could tell that much from the light coming in Jake's window, it couldn't be sunny every day. I stretched and rolled to face Jake, surprised to see that he was already awake, watching me with warm affection in his eyes. "Good morning, gorgeous." He smiled and kissed me sweetly. It quickly became passionate and consuming; Jake slid his hands up under my shirt. I pulled back with difficulty.

"Billy?"

"Is gone already, he had a council meeting this morning."

"What time is it?" I asked. Jake reached over and turned his alarm clock to face him.

"Ten." I nodded and refocused on Jake, fusing my mouth with his after letting him peel the shirt I was wearing up and off of my body. We were both soon divest of clothing and Jake was pushing into me. The whole experience was quite a bit more comfortable on a bed. It still was sore for a minute when he entered me, but, nothing like the day before. I was surprised to learn the Jake kept condoms in a variety of locations – his glove box and night table for starters. Breathing heavily as we came back down I pushed into Jake's arms and closed my eyes. He held me close until our breathing had evened out.

"I need to go over to the Clearwater's today. That's why Emily wanted to see me, she made them a dream catcher, but, she doesn't feel comfortable bringing it over."

"We think Leah and Seth will phase soon, they're showing symptoms." My mind flashed back to the night before when Emily said Leah would find out soon enough.

"A girl can phase?" I asked. Jake shrugged.

"She's got all the signs, it has never happened before. So, we'll see. We can get up and shower, grab some breakfast and head over to Sue's. After that we're free and clear to do whatever we want." His hands slid down to rest on my butt and pull me closer. I laughed at his suggestive tone.

"Should I plan on staying at the Res for the next couple of days? I'd need to call Charlie and probably pick up some clothes and overnight things."

"I like having you here. But, it's up to you Bells."

"Kay, we'll shower, eat, head over to see Sue, and then head up to Forks so I can grab some stuff."

"I forgot there's a going to be a fire at the beach tonight, you should come with me! They tell old Quileute legends and there's a bunch of food, you could probably invite Charlie too. It's like an informal council meeting, but, Billy won't mind if you guys are there."

"If Charlie is home when we stop by I'll ask, or I'll call him at work." Something felt normal about being held by Jake, totally naked after morning sex, and talking about normal everyday things. I felt Jake nod and he sighed heavily before standing, and hauling me into the bathroom. He turned the shower on before setting me on my feet.

"I like waking up next to you." He said. I smiled and reached my hands to his face, stroking his cheeks lightly.

"I like it too."

"It's really gunna suck when school starts back up." He sighed, turning his head and pressing a kiss to my palm. He stuck his hand into the shower to test the water temperature. "Oh, maybe you should check the temperature; I can't really tell if it's too hot or what." I dropped my hands from his face and stuck my hand into the shower. The temperature was fine. I stepped into the tub and could feel when Jacob followed suit. It was a bit of a challenge showering in the small tub, Jacob's size, hands and mouth were more of a hindrance than a help, but it certainly was fun. Finally out of the shower and towelling off I walked back to Jake's room. It felt weird pulling on yesterday's clothes after a shower but I had no choice. Jake found an old hair brush for me to use, from back when he had long locks. Re-dressed with my hair brushed and teeth brushed, borrowing Jake's toothbrush, I felt almost presentable when I walked into the kitchen. Jake was working on breakfast, so I sat and watched him. I marvelled at the way his movements seemed to fluid and easy. He turned around to catch me staring at him. I smiled. "See something you like?" He asked with a grin.

"Maybe," I shrugged. I shot him a smile and he turned back to the stove. He had breakfast plated up and sat next to me, instantly digging into his food. I ate a lot more slowly, thanking Jake for breakfast when I finished eating. I got up and did the dishes for him, when I turned around he was right behind me. He put his hands on either side of me on the counter and leant forward. His lips finding mine. "Now, you have to stop doing that if we're going to get anything done today." I chastised breathlessly when we broke from the kiss.

"Sorry Bella," He apologized, totally unrepentant. I smiled and shook my head at him. I pressed a hand to his chest and he backed up. He laced his fingers with the hand on his chest and let our hands swing between us as we made our way out to the garage to pick up the dreamcatcher. We headed over to the Clearwater's, I talked briefly with Sue, who happily accepted the gift and was going to call Emily.

"I should have driven here, then we could just head into Forks." I commented on the walk back to Jake's place. He shrugged, unbothered. I got a little distracted looking up at Jake's face and wasn't watching my feet. I got tripped up by something and would have face-planted, except Jake steadied me.

"You okay Bells?" I nodded.

"I just wasn't watching here I was going." He smiled and shook his head at me, before easily picking me and carrying me the rest of the way back. "I can walk Jake, I promise." He laughed.

"I know you can, but, this eliminates slip, trip, and fall hazards. Plus, I don't hate having you in my arms." He winked at me. I laughed and shrugged, giving up and just letting him get us back to the house.

Before I knew it we were pulling up to my house, just before I unlocked the door there was a howling from the woods. Jake looked over at me. "Get inside Bella, I'm going to go check what the commotion is. I'll be right back." He pulled me to him and kissed me softly before sprinting off to the tree line. I unlocked the door and got inside, closing the door firmly behind me. I decided to wait on calling Charlie about the bonfire until we knew what was happening. I went to the kitchen and froze. Sitting at my kitchen table was a bronze-haired Adonis, who should not be in my house.

"Hello Bella."

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**AN: Dun dun dunnnnnnn! What is that creepy boy up to? My apologies for the delay on this chapter I had one heck of a busy weekend! Lemme know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review! You know you want to. :P I'll thank eness, Twin268, JacobB'sImprintee, and Thespianpoet, for your kind reviews since my last update! **


	5. Be Reasonable

**AN: Hello lovelies! There is a little bit o' steam in this chapter. Lol! *** again denotes the start and end of the mature content. **

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5\. Be Reasonable

"Hello Bella." His smooth melodious voice that had always sounded out of place in my kitchen seemed even stranger now.

"What are you doing here Edward?" I found myself stepping back and away from him. He was up and holding onto my hands in a blink.

"You don't honestly believe I would hurt you, do you Bella?" His grip was loose and his tone was concerned. I shrugged.

"Please let me go." His hands fell away from me, but he did not step back. "Jake will be here soon, you should leave."

"No, I think Jake will be kept busy for a while longer. I needed to talk to you Bella." My eyebrows shot up at his words.

"What did you do?" He shrugged and sent me a smirk.

"Nothing terrible, I promise Bella, but, I needed time to talk to you. You don't need to be so defensive; you absolutely reek of dog right now. I couldn't come closer if I tried." The tone of his voice had me feeling like he knew what I'd been up to. "Can you please sit?" I crossed my arms and passed him, walking to the table. He was sitting before I was, and I had to reacclimatize myself to his rapid movements, which I had once been so familiar with.

"Well, what do you want? You should clear out of here before Jake gets back. He'll be pissed when he smells you've been here. Edward didn't answer instead his eyes tracked over my body. His eyes zeroed in on my neck, where the bite that Jake had given me was clearly visible. I shifted to cover it with my hand.

"That mutt bit you?" His voice was harsh. I glared at him.

"That is none of your concern."

"You liked it." He sounded appalled. I tried not to blush and failed miserably. "I really never should have left." He muttered under his breath, it was still loud enough for me to hear, so he wanted it known.

"That was your choice, Edward. No one forced you to leave me; you did that all on your own. You have no one to blame but yourself. I'm glad you left." He looked gutted at my words. "If you'd have asked me a month ago I would have said I'd give anything to have you back. But, you were never any good for me." Edward finally blinked and looked away from my face.

"You're right about that. It doesn't change anything, I'm not leaving again. My life is meaningless without you in it. I've asked them not to, but, my family is moving back here. Wouldn't you like to have Alice around again?" His voice was edging towards mesmerizing.

"She left me the same way you did."

"She didn't want to, none of them did. I made them leave. Please Bella, be reasonable." I pushed back from the table and shot a glare at him.

"You be reasonable Edward! You left me crumbled and broken without as much as a glance back! I was left vulnerable to vampire attacks and mental anguish because of you. I just finally start putting the pieces of my life back together and you show up expecting me to have stayed in the same place the whole time? You don't need to stick around. I have Jacob, and he would never hurt me! He'll protect me, and make sure that I am happy. I have no need for you to be here. Go out and find something else to amuse yourself with."

"There is nothing else." Edward replied calmly. "You're the only thing that holds any interest for me. I need you Bella." There was desperation in his tone. I shrugged, trying to swallow some of the anger clawing up my throat.

"The only _thing_, huh, you really should have thought of that before you left. I don't know how many times I can repeat that I don't want or need you around." Before Edward could respond the front door to the house opened. Charlie strode in, and if looks could kill, Edward would have gone up in flames immediately.

"Is everything alright here, Bella?" He asked, his hand going to the holster on his hip.

"Everything is fine dad, Edward was just leaving." Edward made no move to leave. "You need to leave Edward." And, as these things go – the situation went from bad to worse. Jacob's looming form appeared in the still open doorway. I saw him take in a deep breath to slow his tremors as he walked towards me.

"You heard her Cullen; she does not want you here. Leave," Jacob practically growled. Edward shot me a pleading look before standing and striding from the house. I let out a breath and sagged against Jacob. His arms went around me automatically. I looked over at my Dad.

"Sorry Dad, he was waiting on the porch when I came home. I told him to leave, but, he said he just wanted to talk. I heard him out and he was just not leaving." I shot a look at Jake. He knew that Edward was already waiting for me in the house. He had not been on the porch when Jake and I arrived home. "Anyway, everything is fine. Jake and I just came into town so I could grab some stuff. I'll be down at the Res for the next couple of days. There is a bonfire tonight too, that you're invited to." Charlie looked like he wanted to say something. "I just feel more comfortable there; I know Edward won't come down to La Push." Charlie nodded.

"You should come tonight Charlie!" Jake threw a bright smile at my Dad. "Lots of good food and some cool stories." My dad shrugged.

"I might come check it out."

"I hope you do. C'mon Jake, I need to pack a bag." I pulled him out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Once out of earshot from my dad Jake started talking in an undertone.

"He set up a diversion a couple of miles out of town. I don't know how he timed the whole thing so well. Sorry Bella!" I shook my head.

"There was no way you could have known. He didn't do anything. He just wanted to talk. His family is moving back…" I looked over to see Jake frowning as we entered my room. I reached up to place my hand gently on Jake's face. "This changes nothing Jake." His face softened slightly. "We'll just have to figure out how to handle this together." He nodded and I dropped my hand going to dig a bag out of my closet, and shoving some changes of clothes and toiletries in before turning back to Jake. He had moved over to sit on my bed without me realizing. I went and sat next to him, he seemed unhappy. He lifted my legs over his and pulled me into his chest.

"I just want him to leave. I don't want his whole stupid family moving back here." He made a grumbling noise, and I was reminded that Jake was younger than me. I leant back and looked into his eyes.

"I don't want them back here anymore than you do. I don't understand how any of them think this would be a good idea. I'm yours Jake, that isn't going to change." Jake nodded and dropped his head onto my shoulder, his lips finding the bite mark he had inflicted the day before.

"He's not coming near you again." He growled. I ran my fingers through Jake's hair and nodded. Even though I knew if they moved back they'd come back to high school, and Jake couldn't do anything about that. I kept quiet for the time being and focused on comforting him. Jake eventually sighed against my skin and pressed a final kiss to my shoulder before he straightened. I stood and threaded my fingers with Jake's before picking up my packed bag and heading down the stairs. Charlie was sitting at the table with a beer.

"Hey Dad, we're headed down to the reservation, are you going to come tonight?" I asked. He blinked and looked up from the table.

"Sure, Bella, can I talk to you for a minute." I nodded. I looked at Jake, he took my bag and grabbed up my keys.

"I'll wait for you in the truck." He promised. I squeezed his hand briefly before letting him go. I went to sit across from my dad, curiosity written on my face.

"I don't really know how to go about this Bells." He sighed. "Things seem to be getting pretty, uh, serious with Jake?" I felt my face flood with heat. My hand instinctively went to cover up the bite mark on my shoulder.

"I, yeah, Dad they are."

"I want you to know that I trust you Bella, I know you're smart and I'm sure you know all the precautions to take. I just want to make sure that you're being careful." I nodded.

"We are being careful." I affirmed.

"I also want to remind you what happened last time you fell so hard and fast. Bella, I couldn't stand to see you in such pain again. And, I wouldn't want to see Jake hurting either." I nodded. "Don't be angry with me, but, I called Billy. I'm worried about the two of you. You never seem to go halfway with caring about someone Bella. He said that he felt sure everything would be fine."

"Everything will be fine Dad. I know Jake would never do what Edward did. And I won't hurt him either. I promise. I can't really explain it, but, I know. And I'm going to be more balanced. I'll spend time with my other friends and stay focused on school work. Please, Dad, try not to worry."

"Is there something that you aren't telling me? The way Billy brushed everything off assuring me it'll be fine in the same way feels weird Bella." I sometimes forgot that Charlie had to be observant for his job. I shrugged and shook my head. I didn't want to lie, but, I wasn't sure I could really say anything.

"It's nothing Dad. Billy is super laid back. You know that." Charlie nodded. "So, you're coming to the bonfire tonight?" I asked. Charlie nodded.

"I'll be there. Go have fun Bells, I'll see you tonight. Try to keep away from Cullen as much as possible. There is something even weirder about that boy than before." I was a little caught off guard by the comment. I tried to think if I had noticed anything strange about Edward.

"I promise Dad. I don't want anything to do with him." He smiled before making a hand gesture indicating I should go. "Bye Dad, see you later!" He nodded and I quickly made my way out to the truck. Jake was sitting behind the wheel with his head leaning back and his eyes closed. One of his eyes popped open and he smiled at me as I got in the passenger side.

"Do you think he'll figure this out after tonight?" Jake asked. I realized his hearing would mean that he overheard the conversation. I shrugged.

"Won't the legends just seem like stories to him?" Jake mirrored my shrug. He slid a little closer and fit his mouth with mine.

"It would help him know why I won't ever leave you. Put his mind at ease a little, although it would probably bring up other worries." He sighed as he leant away. "Anyway the fire won't start for hours yet. What did you want to do?" I shrugged and looked over at him.

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know about you, but, I'm a little tired. I might need a little bit of rest. I need to run patrol tonight."

"Okay, well we can go back to La Push so you can sleep."

"Let's drive to my place and pick up some stuff, I have a place I want to show you." I raised my eyebrow at him. He just gave me a grin and pulled me to his side as he reversed out of the driveway. Soon enough we were in La Push and I stayed in the truck while Jake took my bag in and went to get what he thought we needed for this mysterious location we were headed to. He chucked a bunch of stuff into my truck bed before climbing back into the truck and setting off again. I didn't pay much attention as he took back paths and side roads until I was well and truly unsure of our location. He finally pulled out into a clearing on a cliffs edge. He expertly turned the truck around so the bed was facing out toward the water. I got out of the truck and marvelled at the location. It was completely secluded and beautiful. The water below was making gently rolling waves to add to the atmosphere. The sky had cleared off from the morning and was a breathtaking blue.

"This place is gorgeous Jake!" He climbed out of the truck and walked over to me, taking my hand and walking closer to the cliff edge. He drew me into his arms with my back pressed to his chest.

"I found it not long ago. But, it's peaceful here; sometimes I just need a breather, someplace to be alone, to think things that I can't with my brothers in my head." He pressed me a little closer to him and leant down to place his lips on the top of my head.

"It's lovely." I sighed. Jake slowly let his arms drop and turned to my truck. He opened the tailgate and started rustling around. When he was done he had approximated a bed, with blankets and pillows and I noticed some food farther back. He always had an appetite. He held a hand out to me and then lifted me onto the tailgate. He leant over me and attached his mouth to mine. I quickly got swept up in the kiss. My hands threaded into his hair, and I pulled closer. My breath came out in ragged gasps when he drew away to kiss down my neck. "I thought you wanted to sleep." I breathed out when my brain was making coherent thoughts again.

"I could stand to exhaust some energy first." His breath was low and husky. I wasn't going to argue. I laughed and leant back pulling Jake on top of me. ***** **I slid up the truck a bit, until Jake was fully hovering over me. His lips ran a course from one shoulder to the other. Jake slid his hands under my shirt and easily glided it off my body. His eyes trailed over my body and he smiled, he leant back down and captured my lips again. I groaned at the feeling of his heat encapsulating me, making me feel safe, and whole. He placed open mouthed kissed all along my neck onto my sternum. His teeth bit at the fabric of my bra where it met in the center of my chest. I was about to reach behind me and unclasp it when he continued down, lavishing kisses over my ribcage and onto my stomach. His tongue swirled over my navel briefly before he continued his journey down my body. He finally sat back on his heels, and his eyes raked my body. My breath was erratic as I watched his dark eyes. He brought my legs to either side of him, bent at the knee. His hands slid from my knee to where my shorts ended – back and forth multiple times. "Do you want me Bella?" His voice was deep and rasping. I unconsciously bit my lip and nodded.

"I need you." I confirmed. I knew he was seeking assurance after what had happened with Edward. He knew I would never leave him for Edward, but, it was a touchy subject. I grabbed onto his wrists and pulled myself into a sitting position. "You're the only one who can make my heart beat like this." I took his hand and laid it over my heart, where my pulse was practically making my heart beat out of my chest. I knew he could hear it fine. "You're the only one who can make me feel like this." I pulled myself onto one of Jake's thighs, the wet heat from between my legs tangible. "I only want you Jake." Jake dropped his hands onto my shorts and undid the button. I lay back as he shifted my shorts and underwear off of me. He reverted our position back to how it was before I had sat up. My legs tented on either side of him – completely and utterly exposed. Only I didn't feel vulnerable, I felt excited. Jake ran his hands from my ribcage down my body, resting on my hips. His eyes followed the same pattern pausing just before they flicked between my legs. He bent and nipped lightly at my left knee, and then my right. He leant further down, kissing my thighs as he went. He was soon on his stomach between my legs. His eyes flicked up to me, I smiled at him. His tongue brushed over me and I hummed loudly in appreciation. His arms held my legs open as he lavished ministrations on me. My legs tensed up and my back arched as he brought me over the edge. "Oh my god, Jake," I managed as he kissed his way back up my body.

"Good god Bella, you are perfect." He nuzzled into my neck and took in a deep breath. His arm reached over my head into a bag and he produced a condom from somewhere. He pushed back from me and shed his shorts while sheathing himself in the condom. I sat up and threw a leg on either side of him; I centered over his erect member and slid slowly down until he was fully buried in me. I hissed at the feeling. Jake leant back on hand while his free hand trailed down to find my butt. He angled in a bit further and I couldn't breathe for a moment at the feeling. I slowly started to move over him, he was hitting a spot that felt just right, every time I took him in fully. I sped up and pressed my mouth to his, not really kissing him, but I would have been if my breathing were more under control. My hands were grasping onto his shoulders. He took his hand from my rear and grasped one of my hands, trailing it down my body. He got my hand flicking over my clit and then he rested his hand on my hip holding me in place while he pumped up into me. Everything became sensation then. All of the noises in the background faded away into static. The colours around me intensified and then burst as I screamed out Jake's name. His mouth found mine, muting the noise. My entire body shook and tensed. My breath finally came back to my body as the pleasure reached its height and then dimmed. Jake pumped once more into me and stilled groaning out my name. I collapsed onto his chest as he fell backward onto the truck bed. We both breathed heavily for a couple of minutes before I lifted my hips and freed him from my body. I slid to the side of his body. ******* Jake turned his head to me, his eye remaining closed and he kissed me soundly.

"Jake…that was amazing." I sighed against his mouth. He smiled.

"It was pretty amazing for me too." He held me a little closer and kissed me deeply, his arms wrapping around me. I sighed into the kiss and fully gave into it. When I felt my lungs might burst Jake pulled back. "We should get you clothed so I'm not tempted to forget about sleeping this afternoon." His voice was growly and adorable. I laughed but rolled away from him, I slid my shirt over my head and found my shorts down by my feet. I quickly got them back up over my hips. Jake took the top layer of blankets and bunched it up, putting it up near the cab. He pulled his shorts on as well and then laid back. He left his arms open for me and I collapsed into them. He pulled my back to his chest and wrapped himself around me. "I love you Bella." He whispered. I found his hand and brought it to my mouth, pressing a kiss to his palm.

"I love you too, Jake." I felt my whole entire being relaxed, and perfectly at ease as I slid into unconsciousness.

* * *

I woke up, the feeling of ease still present in my body. I was glad of Jake's warmth as I felt the cool breeze fluttering over my exposed skin. I leant father back into Jake for a moment before turning in his arms. He was still sleeping and I gently ran my fingers over his face. His nose scrunched adorably and his eyes fluttered open. "Hey beautiful," he mumbled out. "Do you know what time it is?" He asked. I shrugged and shook my head no. "I hope we have time to go home and shower again. The guys will tease me mercilessly if we roll up the bonfire smelling like this." I still was unused to the thought that the wolves had super human senses. And, while it was true we had showered that morning, I had changed back into dirty clothes.

"Well, let's go then." Jake smiled at my words and tilted my head up kissing me softly.

"Hey," He said sweetly.

"Hi Jake," I laughed. He kissed me once more before he sat up. He grabbed a bag of chips out from his food selection and tore into them. He offered me some, but I declined. He was through the bag in a matter of minutes. He balled up the empty bag and stuck it in the dirty blanket from earlier. He scooted forward and offered me a hand down off the truck. I went around to the passenger side as he slammed to tailgate closed and then slid into the driver's side. He easily maneuvered the truck back to his place, holding my hand and chattering easily about nothing along the way. We had just enough time to clear out my truck bed, each take a shower and make ourselves presentable before the bonfire started. Jake was ready before I was and waited patiently for me in the living room. We set out from the house towards the beach when I was ready. As usual I almost tripped and fell several times. Jake just smiled at me and pulled me up onto his back. I felt like a five year old getting a piggy back ride. Jake laughed when I pointed it out.

"You're not five." He pointed out. "It's easier than letting you walk around." I pouted and perched my head on his shoulder. "It's also way too tempting and distracting carrying you in my arms, so this is the only option." I smirked and gently bit his shoulder. He laughed. "Behave yourself Bella. We're almost there." When we stepped from the tree line onto the beach he set me on my feet. We walked towards the firelight like moths to the flame, greeting people as we passed them. Charlie was already there, sitting on a collapsible camping chair near Billy. "Hey Dad," We both said at the same time. We both started laughing; it reminded me strongly of one of the first times I had hung out with Jake. He was fixing up the bikes and we had heard Charlie and panicked, tripping our way from the garage to the house. That was back when Jake had two left feet, just like me. Our Fathers smiled, laughing along with us.

"You're just in time." Billy flashed a warm smile at us. Jake went and piled a collection of food for us on two plates and sat on the ground next to Charlie, I sat next to him, excited to hear the legends of the Quileute people.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so here's an update for ya'll! Do we think Charlie is going to put 2 and 2 together? Do we think the Cullens moving back will be a disaster? Haha, we'll see I guess! Please leave me a review let me know what you thought! Thank you to Thespianpoet, eness, and JacobB'sImprintee! Thank ya'll so much for your kind reviews! Thanks for reading! **


	6. Tales of the Night

6\. Tales of the Night

Billy's calm, commanding voice set the mood for the night. The way he dramatically and perfectly told the legends passed down from generation to generation gave me goosebumps as I leaned against Jake. As he got into the tales of the men who turned into wolves, and the cold ones, my eyes kept flickering towards Charlie. He was listening intently. I felt as though Billy was stating things to make him understand.

"The curse and privilege of our people has always been to protect. Protect our people, from a threat that hardly seems real. The Cold Ones, sharp of teeth and hungering for blood! Our magic awakens only when they are near, warrior spirits from the tribe grow feverish and volatile before transforming into the wolf. Controlling the inner animal can be hard, but, the warriors do as they must to protect all that they hold dear. The Cold Ones… our tribe tells a legend of a band of _good_ cold ones, who don't hunt humans, but, animals. My forefather made a deal with the leader of this tribe, that they could peacefully live in the area, on the condition that they never bit a human. Should they, the treaty would be broken and war would break out. It would fall to our warriors – our wolves to protect the tribe." Billy paused and looked at everyone sitting around the fire. His eyes holding mine for a moment longer than the rest.

"But how can we tell a cold one apart? They are beautiful, inhumanely so. Their voices are hypnotic, and they ought to make you feel on edge by their predatory nature. If a cold one decides to kill, you have no hope of survival. Unless a wolf warrior finds you. Our men grow tall and muscular in a short amount of time, their spirit knows, so it prepares their body. A gangly teenager can turn into a man in a matter of weeks. And he will know it is his duty to protect his people." Again my eyes flicked to Charlie, who looked a little taken aback. His eyes went from Jacob to Billy and back again before resting on me. He raised his eyebrows before looking back at Billy. "Stranger still is the legend of the imprint." I felt Jake squeeze my hand and rest his chin on my shoulder.

"My dad isn't being too subtle." He whispered. I laughed and nodded. Jake quickly pressed a kiss to my neck before straightening.

"Imprinting has only happened a handful of times in our history. A deep and powerful bond between a wolf warrior and their true match, soul calls to soul and once bonded, nothing can tear it apart. The wolf will do anything to protect their imprint, be anything to make them happy…imprinting is like coming home. Or so the legends say." Billy segued into a story about the how the Quileute people survived a flood many years prior. I felt my dad staring at me and I looked over at him. He narrowed his eyes at me and Jake for a minute before tuning back into what Billy was saying. I turned my head into Jake's chest and took a deep breath. Talking to Charlie after this was going to be weird. Jake's hand cradled me into his chest for a minute before he tilted my head to look at him.

"I think he got it." I whispered. Jake nodded.

"It's not a bad thing Bella; it will make things easier in the long run. He had to know." I nodded. Jake smiled and I felt better looking at his sure, beautiful face. He leaned down and kissed me softly. I smiled against his lips before pulling back.

"Will you talk to him with me? I don't know how to explain this." Jake nodded. He kept one arm around me for the rest of the story-telling. When Billy broke his spell over those gathered my Dad walked over to him and asked him something in an undertone. Billy's eyes flicked our way for a second before he nodded. He wheeled along after Charlie and the two started having a conversation far from anyone else in attendance.

"Don't worry Bella." Jake's voice came from beside me. My eyes snapped to his. "We might as well get this over with." He stood and offered me a hand up. I gripped onto his hand like it was a lifeline as we made our way over to our Dads. Charlie looked stressed as his eyes snapped to meet mine.

"Hey Dad," my voice shook a little despite my will for it to stay steady.

"Bella, please tell me this is all some kind of joke. This can't possibly be true! Vampires and Werewolves don't exist. And if they did, you wouldn't date them." I looked up at Jake he was trying not to smile.

"I know it sounds absolutely crazy Dad. I couldn't believe it at first either. But…Edward and his family are too different. I've seen Jake phase."

"This is a sick joke." Charlie seemed angry. My anxiety skyrocketed. I didn't know how to fix this. Jake let go of my hand and stepped forward

"Charlie, I wish this was a joke…come with me please I need to show you something." Charlie crossed his arms and looked between Billy, Jake, and myself. He finally let out a sigh and gestured for Jake to lead the way. I felt panicked. Billy reached forward and took my hand in his.

"It's for the best that he knows Bella. There is no better way to make him believe." I nodded. "He'll come around Bella."

"I hope you're right." I sighed. I kept hold of Billy's hand while I listened carefully for Charlie to scream or come running out of the forest. Neither happened for about ten minutes and I was tempted to go find out for myself what was happening. Billy must have heard them before me as he pointed into the tree line just as Jake and Charlie were coming back. Charlie looked pale, and unsure. Jake seemed calm and sure, as always.

"Thanks for inviting me down here Billy. I need to go. Bella, I'll be back tomorrow to talk to you. This is…this is a lot." I nodded. I dropped Billy's hand and stepped closer to Charlie.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded in response. "I'll see you tomorrow Dad. I'm sorry." Charlie drew in a deep breath and actually looked at me for the first time since coming back from the trees with Jake.

"Don't apologize Bella, I'm not mad. I'm just…confused and overloaded." I nodded, knowing the feeling well. "I'll see you tomorrow." I nodded and watched as Charlie made his way to the police cruiser. I looked at Jake and raised an eyebrow.

"Let's head back to the fire, the others have noticed our absence." Billy stated simply before rolling back to the fire. Jake easily took my hand as we followed after his dad. He led me to a piece of driftwood that was still near the fire, but, far enough that it gave the illusion of privacy.

"What happened?" I asked. Jake shrugged and picked up my hand.

"I phased. Charlie freaked out a bit. I phased back and we talked. I told him that I imprinted on you. I told him that I would answer any questions he had. He was basically just freaking out for a couple of minutes. He was wondering why you didn't tell him anything. Why he had to find out like this. But, I imagine we'll talk about that tomorrow. I think he just needs a minute to calm down about this." I nodded. "Are you okay?" He asked, his gentle eyes looking into mine. I sighed and nodded again.

"Everything will work out." I was sure Charlie would come to terms with things, or ignore them. Jake ran his thumb along my jaw before he kissed me softly. The bonfire was breaking up, people starting to head home as night fell. Billy called over and told us he would be sticking around to clean up and put out the fire and that he would be at Sue's for a bit. Jake nodded and looked over at me.

"I should get you home before I have to run tonight." We stood and started walking to the tree-line, once in the trees Jake easily picked me up and started off towards his house. We were mostly quiet, I was freaking out a little about the next morning, I didn't know how Charlie would deal with all of the things he had learned. I sighed when Jake set me on my feet just outside his house.

"Is something wrong, Bella?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine. Not looking forward to tonight. I'll miss you." Jake smiled at my admission and leaned down to kiss me.

"I get a break around two in the morning, I'll come check on you, and then I should be done by six." He assured me quietly. I nodded and pushed myself into his arms, clinging against him in a hug. His arms easily enveloped me. I focused on his heartbeat, which naturally beat faster than mine, I revelled in his warmth and smiled, knowing it was mine for life. "I'll miss you too." His voice rumbled from below my ear. I looked up at him and rose onto my toes, still not quite tall enough to reach his lips without assistance. He obliged easily and set his lips on mine. It was a short, but sweet kiss. "I love you." Jake breathed out.

"I love you too."

"Let's get you settled inside, and then I really have to go." I nodded and Jake entered the house before I did. Not paying attention I walked right into him as he had stopped mere steps into his house.

"Jake, what's wrong?"

"Someone has been here." Jake carefully walked forward. I stuck close behind him, nervous. He took a few deep breaths, stepping slowly into the house. "It's her, that she demon. We have to get back to the beach Bella, c'mon." He didn't hesitate as he scooped me into his arms and ran full tilt back toward the beach. Heads snapped in our direction as we broke through the tree line. Jake continued carrying me until we reached the fire. He set me down and strode away from me before bursting into his wolf form. Billy looked at us with his mouth agape.

"What happened Bella?"

"Victoria." I stated. The few that were left in attendance at the bonfire all made noises of shock. "She was at your house. We didn't go in. We backed out and came straight here." Jake let loose a howl and a couple other wolves broke out of the tree line.

Two wolves came and stood by the fire, one facing out to each tree line. The other wolves were making rumbling noises among themselves. Jake stepped toward me he placed his snout against my shoulder and made a huffing noise. I stepped forward and leaned against him. "Please be careful Jake." He tucked his chin in closer to me in response. He backed away and joined the other wolves before turning and running off. I silently prayed to whoever might be listening to keep the wolves safe. Billy rolled over to me and gripped my cold hands in his warm ones.

"It's going to be fine Bella, the wolves know what to do." I sighed and nodded. I knew the wolves were good at their job, and that they were more than capable of protecting themselves. It just didn't make it any easier while we sat on the beach and waited. It took hours. The sun was starting to come up and wash the world in its predawn opalescence. I was pacing the beach when I noticed a spiral of purple smoke in the distance. My heart picked up a bit and my breathing eased. I knew what that smoke meant. I sat on the beach rocks and placed my head on my knees. It wasn't long before heavy foot falls and breathing could be heard breaking the tree line. I looked up and saw the beautiful russet fur I had been looking for all night. Jake ran at me full tilt and dropped down next to me.

"Oh, Jake, I'm so happy you're okay! I was worried sick all night." He rolled one of his massive eyes, but nestled his head into my stomach. I bent over his head and kissed him gently. He got up and loped off towards the woods, returning moments later in human form. He dropped down beside me again and wrapped me in his arms.

"We did it Bells, we got her." He whispered. I nodded.

"I saw the smoke. How?" I asked.

"That's a story for later love. We've been up all night. Lets get some sleep and talk later okay?" He asked. I nodded. Suddenly feeling tired now that he had mentioned it. We walked over to Billy, he said he would catch a ride home with Sue soon. We all needed sleep he agreed. That being arranged Jake swept me into his arms and headed for the tree line. I placed my hands on his face as we reached the woods. He looked down at me, keeping his gait even. "Its been a long a night Bells." He said tiredly. I nodded.

"At least Victoria is gone and dealt with now. You can come off of high alert now." Jake nodded. He dropped his head to kiss me quickly.

"If I wasn't so tired I would be over the moon." Jake's house came into view and he carried me inside. He set me on my feet once we reached his room. I grabbed up my pj's and headed to the bathroom. I went to the bathroom and washed up before changing and returning to Jake's room. He had already gotten into bed and I joined him quickly. His arms slid around me and he pulled me snugly against his chest. I breathed in his scent and sighed, pressing a kiss to his chest. His finger slowly trailed over my jaw before tilting it up and finding my lips with his. "Okay Bells, now that we've killed the last vampire with you on her hit list, can you try to stay out of trouble?" He asked. I laughed and nodded.

"I promise Jake." He swept me up in another kiss and I pressed closer to him. I could feel his lips turn up against mine. "I love you." I whispered when he drew back.

"I love you too." I turned in his arms and he held me tightly to his chest. I soon fell asleep to the rhythm of his breath and the heat of his arms.

* * *

My eyes blinked open to a new day, the light coming in Jake's window gave no indication as to the time of day. Jake's arms were still protectively draped over me and I turned to look at him. He was still sleeping, his face young and peaceful in his rest. My thumbs ran under his eyes, where deep set circles still lingered. He never seemed to catch enough sleep. I felt his eyes flutter and then open. He blinked his eyes open and shut again and then smiled when his eyes focused on me. "Good morning love."

"Morning Jake, how did you sleep?"

"Like a baby." He replied with a smile. He nestled his face into my neck. "What about you?" His voice was muffled by my skin.

"I slept well." I ran my fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He pressed his lips to my neck and nipped me lightly. A knock at the front door of the house stilled our movements. Jake rolled off the bed and strode to the front door.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" I heard Jake ask. I sat up and pushed off the bed.

"I've been calling and no one has picked up. I was worried."

"We had a late night chief, everything is fine here." Jake explained as I entered the room. Charlie visibly calmed when he saw me.

"What's wrong dad?" I glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing noon. "Why don't we all sit down, I'll make breakfast and coffee and we can sort everything out, okay?" Charlie nodded, Jake went to Billy's room and I heard them talking in undertones as I started preparing breakfast. Soon all of the men and I were sitting around the tiny kitchen table. "So, I'll start I guess." I said after taking a deep breath. I began explaining how I met Edward, how I found out what he was. How I had almost died after Laurent, James and Victoria showed up in Forks. Jake helped me fill in parts of the story as we explained how the wolves and vampires were intertwined. We explained everything up till the night before. By that time we had long since finished breakfast and more than one pot of coffee. Charlie sat with his with his arms crossed and said nothing the whole time.

"You do realize how unbelievable all this is?" Charlie asked when we had finished. I nodded and looked over at Jake.

"Is it so unbelievable?" Jake asked. "I showed you last night what I can do. If werewolves are real, why not vampires?" Billy pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I believe it I guess, I just really don't want to. You know?" Everyone else nodded. "This all seems like some crazy adventure you would read about, not something that happens to your teenage daughter, right under your nose. The only thing that doesn't give me anxiety about this whole thing is the weird bond between you and Jake, I know he'll keep you safe now."

"I always would have." Jake shrugged. "Are you okay Charlie? Do you have any questions or I don't know...concerns?" Charlie laughed.

"I have many concerns, Jake. But, I think I understand everything as well as I need to. I think, I'm just going to leave all this as a need to know. If there is something that I need to know, let me know. If not I'm game to pretend that everything is normal. This is all a little too much for me." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "We can just pretend that Jake is your boyfriend who comes over too often, and the Edward is just some pesky ex. Alright?" I nodded.

"If that's what you want dad." He nodded back.

"I have to go back to Forks, I have work this afternoon." He stood and shook hands with Billy. He patted Jake on the shoulder and I followed him out of the house.

"I'm sorry Dad, I know this is all a bit much. I never asked for any of this, you know?" He nodded. He turned and hugged me.

"I'm not mad Bells, I promise. That would be like being angry at you if it was raining. I guess you're just a magnet for weird things." He sighed and stepped back from me. "So, everything is normal. I'll see you when you get back in town, don't forget, school starts up again next week, I won't be letting you skip because you want to stay on the res." I grinned and nodded.

"I know Dad, I wouldn't do that. Thank you, for all of this." He finally broke a smile and got in his cruiser. He quickly fired up the engine and drove off. I stood with my arms around myself until he was well out of sight. I couldn't have asked for a better reaction from him. I imagined most other parents would be freaking right out, but, thankfully not Charlie. I felt Jake before his arms went around me from behind. I turned in his arms and looked at him.

"You okay love?" He asked. I nodded against his chest.

"Charlie took that like a champ. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He leaned down and kissed my shoulder, I could tell he was smiling.

"So, we've got the whole day ahead of us, no vamps sneaking about lusting after your demise, what do you want to do?" He asked. I smiled and shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I want to show you something. May I?"

"Of course." I nodded. We headed back inside and got ready for the day. Saying a quick goodbye to Billy before we left the house. The only thing Jake would tell him was that we were going hiking. So, with that we left the house, off to an adventure unknown.

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** AN: Uhm, hi, Do I have an excuse for this gap? Nope. But here is a chapter, and feel secure in the knowledge that I have two more chapters written, and a HUGE plot twist in store for you guys! I won't give up on this story, and hopefully some of you are still reading. On that note, let me thank my reviewers for the last chapter. Eness, Taino Delsan 13, xXMishaXx, Daliesque, Eva505, CullenBoyzAreMyLifeNow, LaLa Land 14, Diamond Supreme, and my one guest reviewer. Ya'll rock my socks! Until next time - TipTopToo **


	7. From the Ashes

**AN: Some very adult content incoming. ***** **denotes the start and finish of said content. Enjoy responsibly!**

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7\. From the Ashes

We set out on foot, and Jake soon lifted me into his arms. I didn't know where we were headed and I didn't really mind, just being with Jake was a good enough day for me. It seemed like we walked for hours. Occasionally I would walk on my own until I almost tripped and hurt myself and then Jake would sling me into his arms with a laugh.

"Where are we going Jake?" I asked, after quite some time.

"We're almost there babe, promise." He set me down as he held some branches out of the way and I realized where he had taken me. There was a pile of oddly coloured ashes in the little clearing I stepped into.

"This is her?" I asked. He nodded. He couched down and pulled a pouch out of his pocket, it looked like the one his dad wore around his neck. He scooped some of the ashes into it and settled it around his neck.

"Just in case," he shrugged. He led me out of the clearing, the opposite from the way we came in. There was a stream. He stuck his hands in, washing the remainder of the ashes from his hands. He continued forward, gripping onto my hand after he dried his on his shorts. We came to a cliff face, and he pulled me to sit next to him by the base of a tree. "You're probably still wondering how we got her, huh?" He asked, picking up the pouch around his neck.

"Well, yes." He smiled and dropped the pouch back onto his chest. He put an arm over my shoulder and settled in to tell me the story.

"There isn't too much to tell really. We ran back to my house and started sniffing out her scent, she tried to fake us out with multiple trails, we split up and chased the trails. Jared was following the right one and once it was confirmed we all ran after that trail. She was in her usual form, dodging and slipping out of grasp at the last second. We were prepared for it though, we came at her from all sides, where there were no trees for her to jump on, and we closed in on her. She had one last attempt and tried to dig down, but, even with her great strength, she just wasn't fast enough. I caught her leg and ripped it off. That pretty much stopped her in her tracks. I'll spare you the rest of it, but, we got her." He sighed and pulled me a bit closer to his side. "I'm just happy that there is no threat over you anymore. Well, almost no threat. We'll have to deal with the Cullen family at some point. I've been so worried about her finding you any time I had to be away from you. I'm relieved." I put an arm around him and leaned up to kiss his jaw.

"Me too. Thank you Jake. I'd be dead without you and the wolves, I'm grateful for you, you know that?" He rubbed a hand over my arm.

"I'd never let anything happen to you."

"I know that." He easily shifted me from beside him to in between his legs, they were bent on either side of me and he pulled me close to his chest. We were looking out over the cliff, I could hear water splashing below, and the chill of the day was kept at bay by Jake's warmth.

"I love you more than anything else on this Earth, you know?" He asked. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and looked up at him.

"I know. I love you just as much." He grinned and leaned forward pressing his lips to mine. I turned and pressed my hands against the tree trunk, his hands drifted to my hips and then slid onto my back. He sighed and leaned his head back.

"I feel like I could sleep for at least a year." He groaned and stretched. I let my hands slide off the tree onto his shoulders. My thumbs rubbed gently on the side of his neck.

"Did you want to head home, catch a nap?" I asked.

"I don't want to think about moving right now." He sighed. I pushed off of him and sat next to him again, pulling his head into my lap. I scratched my nails gently over his back in circular patterns with one hand and played with his hair with the other. Soon enough I heard Jake's breathing even out and soft snores emitted from his mouth. I smiled and my hands absently kept at their ministrations, the view from where we were sitting was beautiful and I soon got lost in thought. My eyes started to droop and I rested my head against the tree.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky by the time I opened my eyes again. Jake was still sleeping on my legs, which were painfully asleep. I leaned over him and gently tapped my hands on his cheeks. He blinked his eyes open and looked up at me. "My legs are asleep Jake, can you move off of them." He groaned and rolled off of me.

"Sorry Bells." I shook my legs out and yawned while I stretched. Jake stood and offered me a hand up. He kept pulling me even after I was standing and up into his arms, he backed me against the tree as my legs went around him. There was something different about this kiss than any other from the day. I knew immediately that Jake wanted something more than just comfort from this. My hands went into his hair and I sighed into the embrace. "Sorry Bells, I find you irresistible." His hands slid down the sides of my body and gripped my hips. "We can't do this here though, I don't have anything." By anything I assumed he meant protection. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, nuzzling my face in. I took a deep breath and grinned as he hugged me closer.

"I don't think you ever need to apologize for finding me irresistible, I feel the same way about you."

"Do you still want to go cliff diving?" Jacob asked me, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I don't have a particular drive for it now that I'm not chasing an adrenaline high. Although, it could be fun?" I peeked over Jake's shoulder over to the cliff edge we were near. He grinned and effortlessly shifted me onto his back. He strode toward the edge and I tried not to freak out about how high up we were. I knew that Jake would keep me safe. Jake backed up a couple of steps and then took the leap at a run. We were far out into mid air, free-falling into the water. A shriek escaped my mouth while Jake chuckled beneath me. I took a deep breath and Jake arced into the water. We plummeted far in and I clung onto Jake as he clawed us back toward the surface. We broke it and both gasped in breaths. I started laughing. Jake brought me around into his arms and smiled at me.

"Fun?" He asked as we started swimming for the beach, which seemed far off.

"Yeah, that was amazing Jake!" The water would have been too cold if Jake was not with me. Before I knew it we were back on first beach and Jake was carrying me ashore. The wind seemed to pick up as we got out of the water. I shivered and pressed in closer to Jake.

"Let's go home." Jake pulled me closer noticing I was cold. He quickly loped through the trees and back to his house. He called out to his dad as he entered the house. There was no answer. Jake shrugged as he set me on my feet. Jake found a note on the table and picked it up, his eyes skimming over it. "Dad's gone to Sue's, and Emily has invited us over for dinner." I looked at the clock it was already five thirty. Jake picked up the phone and dialed a number. He held a hand out to me instinctively and I took it easily as he drew me close. "Hey Emily, how are you?" Jake flicked a smile at me. "We're good, we went out for a hike, we just got back. Did you still want to do dinner?" He listened for a minute to what Emily was saying. "Yeah, we can be there in an hour. Do you want us to bring anything?" Jake laughed at something Emily said. "I always bring an appetite. Alright, I'll let you go and we'll see you soon. Okay, yup, bye." He hung up the phone and looked down at me. "Well now, we've got the place all to ourselves, with a full hour before we need to be anywhere." He grinned and I laughed.

"You sir, are insatiable." I accused, poking a finger into his chest. He gathered me closer to him and smiled, taking my lips with his in a soft, light kiss.

"You don't really mind though, do you?" He asked huskily, and edge to his voice. I shook my head no, I really did not mind his seemingly unending desire for me. Quite the opposite really.

*******"I think I can live with it." I smiled and pushed my lips back to his. His mouth grew a little more insistent on mine, opening my mouth with his and deepening the kiss. His hands roved over me in a possessive fashion coming to rest on my butt. He pulled my hips close to his, and I felt his need for me. He picked me up and stumbled us toward his bedroom. Once there he shut the door and started peeling me out of my clothes before discarding his shorts. He rolled me under him on the bed and started kissing his way from my forehead all the way down my body.

"I want you so badly." He growled as he reached my core.

"I'm all yours." I assured. He let out a satisfied noise and latched onto my most sensitive parts driving me wild. His strong arms held my legs open and my hips in place as he ravaged my body. It didn't take long before I was bucking and quaking from the sensation. I called out Jake's name on a climax and I could feel Jake watching me as I came back down. "How'd you get so good at that?" I questioned. A smile spread over Jake's face.

"I'm good at that, huh?"

"From my point of view, yes." I smiled. Jake slid up my body and latched onto my neck, kissing and sucking gently before nipping me lightly where he had bitten me the first time we had sex.

"I'll just say that the pack mind is not always a bad thing." Jake finally answered after pulling another moan from me. I slid my hand down his torso and wrapped my hand over him, playing over him. He hissed in pleasure and rolled onto his back. My free hand found a condom in Jake's bedside table. I opened it and rolled the condom into place. I kept working my hand as I slung one leg over him, I leaned over biting at his collar bone before centering myself over him. I slid slowly onto his length and drew in a breath at the feeling of being filled. Jake's hands found their way to my hips and kept me in place for a minute. "This is the best feeling." He groaned. "I could live with you surrounding me."

"I agree, it's one of the best feelings." My reply was breathy. Jake finally eased up on my hips and they started moving of their own accord. Jake used one of his hand to play over my clit as I rode him. I bit my lip to keep from yelling out in pleasure. I could feel sensation quickly building, but I watched Jake's to see if he was close. When I saw him lean his head back into the pillow and groan I sped up my movements and finally let go. The world stopped and colours burst behind my eyes, I felt sure I made an inhuman noise before I came back to my senses. I breathed in deeply before slumping over Jake who was coming back down too. *******

His arms came around me and his fingers threaded into my hair. My eyes flicked over to the clock and I tried not to laugh. "Considering we have to shower before we can go anywhere I'd wager a guess we're going to be late." Jake looked at the clock and laughed. We had ten minutes to get it together.

"You go shower first, I'll call Emily with some excuse." Jake decreed lifting me away from him. I flopped back onto him and kissed him soundly.

"I love you." I told him.

"I love you, too." He grinned against my lips and slapped a hand lightly over my butt. "Now off with you or we won't make it at all." I laughed and kissed him once more before pushing off of the bed and padding towards the bathroom. Life was weird, I never would have dreamed it would turn out this way, but I was unbelievably happy. Stepping under the shower spray I couldn't help but smile to myself and think excitedly about the future.

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**AN: A writer of my word, right? I promise this is the last real fluff chapter of this fic(This has not been my best chapter, but I hope ya'll like it!). If you are a fluff lover as I am, sorry, it might take a second to get back to fluff, if it even does. Still putting some finishing touches on the next chapter so it might take a bit longer to come out, but it shouldn't be an age like my last gap. Thanks for reading guys. I'll take this moment to thank my reviewers since my last update - 4Gracie04, and Cacau Black. All of the views, favourites, and reviews on this story just motivate me to write more, so thank you to anyone who takes the time! - TipTopToo  
**


	8. As the World Falls Down

8\. As the World Falls Down

The rest of the week and weekend with Jake blurred by in a frenzy of laughs, friends, family, and adventures. My feelings of elation had not worn off and I had almost forgotten that I would have to return to Forks, and a normal life. Everything I wanted was on the Res. Mostly, Jake was on the Res, and I could hardly stand being away from him. I knew waking up that Monday that Jake would run back home and I wouldn't see him until after patrols finished that night. Charlie being the godsend that he was said he would allow Jake to stay over on week nights, and agreed that I could go down to La Push on weekends. He had somehow swung it so that he could get Friday evenings off for us to all spend together. I felt like I had a real family for the first time.

True to my word I had made plans with Angela for later in the week, and while I waited for Jake to show back up at our house on weekdays I would do my homework. I thought all about how life had changed, and what the plans were as I regarded the sleeping form of Jacob Black. He always looked younger and more innocent when he slept. I would hate to wake him up, but I knew I had to. I placed my hand on his face and pressed my lips to his gently. I kept the pressure light until I felt him respond. His lips curled up against mine, and soon the kiss became a deep and affectionate affair. I drew back with a sigh before things could get out of hand. "Good morning Jake."

"Morning love," He grumbled out.

"It's Monday." I frowned as I said it. His eyes blinked open and he looked about as happy as I felt. It would be weird spending any amount of time away from him.

"I wish it wasn't. I don't feel too comfortable about sending you off to school where potentially three vampires are waiting. One that happens to be obsessed with you, and one who has previously tried to kill you."

"Jasper wasn't trying to kill me. That was an accident." I defended. Jake shot me a look. "Okay, I get it. I'm not to too thrilled about it either Jake. I wish it could be last week again and we could stay in our little bubble in La Push."

"I wish that too Bella. You don't have too long till graduation though. And after that you can come stay with Billy and I till I'm finished school. Then we can leave and do whatever we want. Or stay and do whatever we want. I don't really care as long as I get to do it with you." Jake reached a hand to my face and gently rubbed his thumb over my cheek.

"You have to go." I pouted. "You have to go or you'll be late, and I'll be late." Jake it would seem, did not care as he draped his arm over me and pulled me closer to him instead of getting up. I sighed and nuzzled into him giving into the comfort for a moment. "Jake," I whispered a minute or so later.

"Shh, Bella. We can't go anywhere if we are sleeping." Jacob said with a laugh. I giggled and shook my head at him before pushing back and out of his arms. I rolled off of my bed and headed toward the bathroom. Doing my usual morning routine and trying to ignore the feeling of dread I had in my stomach. Edward and his family were back. They had to be by now, and he would have found some way to get back into every one of my classes. I was sure of that. Then there would be Alice and Jasper. I wasn't ready to deal with any of this. I sighed after spitting out my toothpaste and rinsing my mouth. I padded back to my bedroom. Jake was still splayed on my bed, one of his eyes popped open as I came back in. I went to my dresser and pulled out and outfit for the day, changing carelessly in front of Jake.

"Now, up you get Jake, you're going to be late."

"Aw Bells, you know I don't have to do any fancy primping before I go into school. But, since you clearly want me gone. I'll go." He feigned sadness. I rolled my eyes but came to sit next to him despite the artifice.

"You know that's not true Jake." I told him pressing a hand to his face. He took advantage of the situation and pulled me closer to him. I breathed in his slightly woodsy scent happily. I pressed a kiss to his neck before leaning back. "You know Billy and Charlie won't let this incredibly lax situation continue if either of us are perpetually tardy and flunking school."

Jake nodded. "I know. It's just very hard to leave you love. I'm really worried about today. I don't trust Edward."

"And I totally get that, I don't trust him either. But it's not like he's going to try to snatch me in front of everyone, and you'll be patrolling up this way after school, right?" I asked.

Jake nodded before sighing and wrapping his arms around me. "Give me a couple of minutes and I'll hitch a ride to school with you, then I'll run to back to La Push from there. Too bad we don't have time for breakfast, I'm starving." Jake patted his stomach sadly. I smiled at him and quickly kissed him before pushing away and heading down the stairs. I made sure my backpack had everything it needed and passed quickly into the kitchen to make Jake a quick breakfast. There wasn't much I could do in the two minutes it would take him to get ready, but I scooped some yogurt into a bowl and topped it with fruit, grabbing a couple of bites as I went.

Forgetting how quiet Jake was I jumped when his arms came around me. "Here you go, I made you breakfast." Jake smiled as he took the bowl from me.

"You're too good to me." He intoned, setting upon the breakfast voraciously. I smiled skirting past him to pick up my bag and grab my keys. Jake finished eating in mere seconds and we quickly went out to my truck. Jake was unusually quiet as we drove. I found a parking spot easily and the cut the engine, the silence was even more deafening without the cheery background roar of my truck in action.

"It's going to be okay Jake. I promise." He picked up my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Don't make any promises you can't keep Bella. Call Emily as soon as you get home so I can get word that you're safe."

"I will." I vowed as I exited the truck. Jake skirted around it and grabbed my hand walking me up to the school. My heart stuttered as I saw three pale beauties waiting by the school, watching us. The three vampires moved swiftly toward us and I placed my hand against Jake who instantly started shaking. "Please Jake, try to stay calm." He looked at me and nodded tersely.

"Bella! It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!" Alice's voice chimed out as they came within ear shot. I glared back. "Oh, come on now Bella it's not our fault – you know how stubborn Edward can be. You're going to forgive me, I've seen it."

"Your visions are subjective." I bit out a little nastily. "You all left me, and all avoided any contact with me for months. You can't put all of that on Edward. I'm not sure why you guys moved back here, but your life here will not include me. I am not interested." Alice's little face fell at my words. Jasper just stood there saying nothing. Edward stepped forward to address Jake.

"There is no need to be concerned Jacob. We mean Bella no harm, you and your pack don't need to be on such high alert around us." His beautiful honeyed voice sounded sincere – I didn't trust it.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you leech. Trust me when I say that Bella is top priority and well protected. We're always going to be watching Cullen. Remember that." Jake sounded snarly. He leaned down and pressed and intense kiss onto my lips before backing off and keeping me in his sights until he reached the tree line. I waved at him sadly as he disappeared into the trees.

"Please just leave me alone – all of you." I said looking at the Cullen's briefly before entering the school. My heart was beating out of my chest in anxiety, and I knew it would likely continue to do so all day. On my way down the hall Angela walked up to me looking worried.

"Did you see him?" She asked me.

I nodded. "I saw him. I knew he was back in town, I was just wishing he wasn't actually going to stay. This is terrible timing."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked.

"Well...you know Jake, I hang around with him whenever I'm not working or in school?" I questioned. Angela nodded. "Well, over spring break we started dating, and Edward being back has obviously upset that a bit."

"You're not going to take him back though, right?" Angela looked very concerned about what my answer would be.

"No, of course not! I deserve better than that."

"Damn right!" Angela held her hand up for a high five and I obliged. "What about Alice? I know you two were thick as thieves before they left town."

"We were, but she ignored me the entire time they were gone, and disappeared just the same as Edward did." I had opened up to Angela a little bit about when Edward and his family left, fudging a few details of course. "I'm fine though, thanks for checking Angela. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" She nodded and gave me a comforting pat on the shoulder before walking off in the opposite direction to get to class. I headed to English and took a seat at my desk.

Unfortunately being a social recluse meant that the only open seat in class was next to me, so when Edward came into class, the only desk open was next to me. I rolled my eyes and avoided eye contact with him. Whispers erupted in the class and I tried to ignore them. Mr Berty entered the class.

"Alright students, as you may have noticed Mr Cullen has rejoined our class. Welcome back Edward! Everyone else, you have a pop quiz to see if you actually completed the reading I assigned you for spring break." Groans erupted throughout the classroom. I had done all the required reading so I felt prepared.

* * *

The day continued in a similar fashion. Edward would be in every class I had, sit next to me – as the seat next to me had never been filled since Edward had left. The teacher would announce he was back, as if that was needed. And I would feel more and more anxious. I could feel Edward's eyes on me all day and it was making me nervous. Lunch came and I flopped next to Angela with a groan.

"You okay Bella?" Angela asked with real concern.

"I'm more than ready for today to be over." I chucked a glance at the Cullen's, they were sitting at the same table they always did, no one had taken it over. Edward was watching me. I glared at him. "It's like he just thought he'd be able to drop back into my life. He's in all of my classes, sitting next to me in every class while I ignore him. It's annoying, you know?" I looked over to Angela as I finished the sentence.

"It's almost like he can hear you." She commented, I guess she had been looking at him to, looking like he was reacting to what I was saying. Which unbeknownst to her, he was. "Sorry that this is happening."

"It's alright. I'm tough, I'll be fine." We started chatting about our plans for later in the week, and I tuned Edward and his gaze out for the rest of lunch. The rest of the day followed in the exact same pattern, and after what felt like an eternity, I was walking back toward my truck. Edward was leaning against the driver side door. "Go away Edward." I ordered as I approached. His face tensed up.

"Please Bella, can't we talk about this?"

"No, I am not interested in talking to you."

"Bella, please be reasonable."

"If you won't move away from my truck, I'll walk home. I am reasonable. You're an egotistical jerk. I'm asking you again to please move so I can go home." He didn't move a muscle. I rolled my eyes and continued past him.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella, you're not walking home. Is talking to me really that big of a chore?"

"Yes, frankly it is." I stilled as I felt one of his ice cold hands encircle my upper arm. "Get your hands off of me."

"You're giving me no choice here Bella."

"Hands off of me. Now." Rather than letting go his other hand came to my other arm. His head dipped and quick as a flash I felt a searing pain in my neck. "What the fuck? Did you just bite me?" I felt hysterical but tried to slow my heartbeat, knowing it would spread the venom all the faster.

"I need you Bella, this was the only way."

"What is wrong with you? I don't want this! Fix this!"

"There's nothing I can do, but you should come with me. You can't transition at your father's house. Jacob won't want you now Bella, you know this." I was horrified, in disbelief over what had just happened. I had begged Edward to change me how many times when we were dating and he had refused. Now, in the middle of the school parking lot, littered with other students, he obliged. After I had moved on and decided I didn't want it. Edwards hands had loosened. I broke out of his grip and made for my truck. I was in severe pain, but I had to get to La Push.

My truck roared to life and I peeled out of the parking lot. I could not believe what was happening. The drive to La Push was frantic and dangerous. But I made it to Emily's house and staggered out of the truck. I stumbled up to the front door and pounded on it. Emily opened the door, she gasped looking at me.

"Bella, what happened?" She asked me, helping me inside.

"Get Jacob, I need him now. Edward bit me!" She got me into a kitchen chair and ran to the phone. She made a couple different calls before coming to sit next to me. She looked pale. "Jacob will be here soon, along with Sam and a couple others. Are you alright? I'm sure that's a dumb question." I was fighting the urge to cry.

"This hurts, it hurts so bad. Why did he do this?" I lost the fight with my tear ducts. Emily put an arm around me and held me to her chest. The back door to the house flew open and suddenly Jacob was there.

"Bella, my god Bella, tell me this isn't true!" I looked up from where I was cradled in Emily's arms. "What do we do? What can we do?"

"I don't know. Last time this happened Edward sucked the venom out of the bite. But it was a couple of minutes after I got bit, not the better part of an hour. I don't want this!" I was crying again. Jake offered me his hand and I took it as he crouched in front of me.

"Where did he bite you? I don't see a bite mark." He asked, looking me over carefully.

"My neck, he bit my neck." I ran my hands over my neck, feeling nothing, no bite mark. But I could feel the venom spreading through my body. "I don't know if you could extract the venom either. Edward could because he's a vampire too. You're a werewolf I bet it would make you sick." I gasped as I felt a pain in my chest, doubling over. There was a collective sound of shock and people calling my name. When I felt I could breathe again I put my hands on Jake's shoulders and looked into his eyes carefully. "Call Carlisle! I know it sounds counter intuitive to call in a vampire, but there is no way he would be okay with this. He has to know how to fix this. Transformations take days – he'll know what to do."

"Where can we call him Bella?" Jake asked. I doubled over in pain again.

"The hospital, he'll be back there. If not call Charlie and get him to track Carlisle down. Please, I need him." I cried. The pain was overwhelming and the fear was debilitating. Jake signalled to someone and I heard chatter in the background. "Can you take me to your place? I'm scared Jake." I caught a tear leaking from his eye.

"Of course." He quickly had a chat with Sam and then came and boosted me into his arms. I expected him to run home, but he walked carefully, making sure not to jostle me. "Bella, if we can't get Carlisle, or if he can't fix this, I want you to know it doesn't change anything. I'll still love you, you'll still be my imprint. Nothing can change that." I curled into his chest and cried.

"Carlisle has to be able to fix this." It had quelled my fears a bit to hear him say that though. Before I knew it Jake was setting me on the couch in his house. He knelt down and put a hand to my face.

"I'm so sorry I let this happen Bella."

"Hey now, this is not your fault. The only person at fault for this is Edward. There is no way you could have prevented this. I am so sorry that I'm putting you through this." Jake placed a finger over my mouth and shook his head no.

"If it's not my fault, it's not your fault either. I am going to find that horrible leech, and I am going to kill him."

"If I end up turning I'll help." Jake gave a quick humourless laugh. "Really though Bella, I do love you, and I won't stop. No matter what happens."

"I love you too Jake." I leaned towards him and kissed him, looking for comfort. He kissed back, but I could feel how tense and upset he was. The phone rang, and he pushed up to go get it. I heard Jake's side of the conversation, it was not particularly illuminating. A lot of mhmm, yeah, okay. Then he hung up and came back to me. He picked me up and sat with me on his lap.

"They just tracked down the doctor. He is on his way here now. He probably shouldn't be too long." I nodded and curled into Jake's chest.

"Has anyone told my dad?" I asked quietly.

"He knows. He'll be here too." Jake ran a hand over my back soothingly as another pain ripped through my body. I stifled the cry that wanted to wrench from my lips and prayed Carlisle would hurry.

* * *

**AN: Do ya'll hate me? Don't hate me! I think I know what's going to happen/where I want to take the story, but sometimes when I'm writing my fingers work independently of my brain and type whatever they want. So your guess is as good as mine as to what will happen next. Do you think Carlisle will save the day? Will Jake pull a save out of nowhere? Will Bella become a vamp? Let me know what you guys think! Leave me review or PM me, I love hearing from you guys! Thanks to 4Gracie04 for your review! I haven't even started the next chapter so I can't say when it will be up. Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger! Thanks for reading, following, favving, and reviewing! Until next time - TipTopToo**


	9. Diagnosis

9\. Diagnosis

The only thing I was aware of was pain, and the warmth of Jacob. Which was a bit alarming as Jake began to feel hotter and hotter. Then suddenly Carlisle was there. Blonde, indescribably beautiful, and frowning in a fashion that put me on edge.

"Hello Bella, it's very good to see you again. Though, these circumstances are far less than ideal. Please allow me to apologize for my sons actions. Although I'm sure that doesn't mean much at the moment. Jacob, may I please see Bella, she needs to be examined."

"You better be able to fix this doc." Jake growled as he shifted me from his lap to beside him on the couch. Carlisle took my wrist and felt out my pulse. He didn't look happy. Next he took a lancet and drew the tiniest amount of blood from my finger. He sampled it – putting it quickly in his mouth, again, frowning.

"Can you describe the pain you're feeling? Can you tell me how you've felt since Edward bit you? That will help me determine how far the venom has spread."

"Well the pain was immediate when he bit me. But not so intense that I couldn't drive down here to La Push. When I got to Emily's house I was having trouble walking. I had a pain in my chest while I was there that doubled me over, and I'm still in a great deal of pain."

"Unfortunately Bella, this sounds to me like the venom has reached your heart. It's pumping out to the rest of your body now and changing your body, that's why you're in so much pain. If I had gotten to you sooner I may have been able to suck the venom out, but Edward was pretty calculated in this. The first time you were bitten, James bit your wrist, giving us a bit more time. Edward bit you right on your pulse point – ensuring the venom would spread faster. He also sealed the wound with venom trapping it fully in your body. I'm not too sure what to do here." He admitted with a frown. "Please let me explain why the family came back. Edward was not staying with us for most of the time. He was off on his own. Leaving you was very hard on him. He appeared back at our place last week, he told us he had visited you. He told us you had reconciled. Please believe me that we would not have come back if we'd known the circumstances Bella. Alice text me this morning with concerns, saying you didn't seem overly happy to see any of them. Telling me you appeared to be with Jacob. I told her we would all talk as a family after school. But, it appears that Edward had other plans. I can't apologize enough Bella."

"It's not like you bit me." I returned sourly. "Carlisle, my whole life was torn apart when you all left. I finally started putting my life back together, and Edward shows up out of the clear blue. He insulted my intelligence, he insulted every aspect of Jacob and I told him to leave. I'm not just dating Jacob. He's a wolf and I'm his imprint."

"You're his imprint? Forgive me for being so forward, but have you two been intimate?" I felt my face flaming at someone I considered a father figure asking me such a question. But I nodded. "Alright, nothing to be embarrassed about Bella." He smiled at my discomfort. "Jacob, when you two were together for the first time, did you bite Bella?"

"Yes, I did. How do you know about this stuff?" Jake asked, a lot more comfortable than I was.

"Well, when we first met the wolves I was of course very interested in how they functioned and was able to hear most of the legends and stories. I was able to talk to a bonded couple as well. Jake, if you would supply me a sample of your DNA there is some testing I could do. It may well be that when you bit Bella you transferred a bit of your wolf gene. Much like a venom. The instinct of it is interesting, so I wonder if it has protective properties."

"I'll do anything I can to help." Jake answered without hesitation.

"Great. Bella, I'll take a sample from you as well. I'll need to go back to my house where my equipment is to analyze the samples. But it should give me a better idea of what we're working with. In the mean time all I can do if offer you some pain management, and another apology."

"I don't blame you for this Carlisle. Thank you for coming to check on me, and doing all this extra work. I really don't want to be a vampire."

"I'm really hoping we can avoid that Bella. Would you like me to see if any pain killers will help?" He asked. I nodded. "I think the best course of action would be to give you a strong sedative. Something that will potentially allow you to rest and therefor slow your heart rate." He looked through the bag he had brought with him. "Lets try some Valium." He handed me a couple of pills and Jake went to get me water. "I'm also just going to take a blood sample from you Bella, so I can see a bit more clearly what is happening." He quickly procured a vial and drew some blood. Jake handed me a glass of water and I took the pills. Carlisle put everything carefully and quickly away, after taking Jake's blood as well. "I'll do everything in my power to help you Bella. I am deeply sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that Carlisle stood and strode from the house. Jake picked me back up and settled me on his lap. He rested his head against me and kissed my shoulder softly.

"How did this day go so wrong?" Jake groaned. I curled into him and tried not to cry. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy under the effects of the drugs I had been given.

"I want to go back to this morning." I whispered. "I want this to be some kind of horrible nightmare."

"It certainly feels like one. If this was what you wanted I would support you, but to know that this was done out of vengeance, just to hurt you – hurt us." I nodded. My eyes unable to stay open.

* * *

The next thing I was aware of was a chilling pain. I woke with a start. I was disoriented, not sure where I was. I realized eventually that I was at the Cullen house. The room I was in looked clinical. Like a hospital room. I was on a standard hospital bed with starched white sheets. There were IVs in my arm and I had no point of reference for what time of day it was, or how long I'd been out for. I noticed Jake sitting at the foot of my bed in a chair. He was sleeping. I sat up and my head spun. Jake's eyes snapped open as I groaned.

"Bella! You're awake." He got up and came around the side of the bed, sitting next to me. "Do you feel alright?"

"I – I'm not sure. What day is it? What time is it?"

"It's Wednesday, just after noon."

"I've been out for awhile then. What's happening?"

"Well, the doc did some testing on our blood, and thought it would be best if we brought you here to the Cullen house. There is something funky going on with your transformation that he can't quite figure out."

"But I am transforming?" I asked. Jake nodded a bit uncertainly. "My dad?"

"Is here, downstairs. All of the Vamps have cleared out except for Carlisle and Esme. Edward is being held at La Push while we figure out punishment for what he's done."

"Carlisle?" I called just above conversational tones. Knowing he would hear me from anywhere in the house. He appeared at the door in moments.

"Hello Bella, you called?" I would never tire of Carlisle's soft calming voice. It made sense that he was a great doctor.

"What's happening to me Carlisle?" I asked. His brow furrowed and he rolled a stool over to sit next to the bed.

"To put it simply Bella. I don't know. I've never seen any transformation go like this. You get right up to the brink where it seems like the transformation is going to take, but it doesn't. I'm still doing some tests, but I have a feeling it has to do with Jake biting you. Clearly you were not transformed by Jake's bite or affected in any perceptible way, but it may be that the bite transferred some antibodies that are protecting you. And if that is the case we likely can reverse the effects of Edward's bite. It will all come down to testing and time, I'm afraid." Carlisle gently put his hand against my wrist to measure my pulse. "How is your pain?" He asked.

"It's better I think, I'm in less pain than before."

"Your pulse is very, very slow. I'd say the venom is keeping you from feeling much pain. I really am sorry this happened Bella. I know I didn't bite you but Edward is my son and I feel very responsible for his actions. Esme is coming up with your father. I need to get back to my lab and keep studying samples. I'll keep you updated on anything I find."

"Thank you Carlisle." I said trying to keep my voice steady. He smiled kindly and let go of my wrist getting up and leaving the room. No sooner had he left than Esme ushered my father into the room. She looked a bit sheepish as she regarded me.

"Bella! Thank goodness you're awake. I've been so worried!" My dad came toward me and caught me up in a hug.

"I'm okay dad, well mostly." Charlie stepped back and Esme approached me.

"I know that Carlisle has already apologized and explained what happened but, I'd like to add to that if I may?" Esme sounded sweet as I remembered and exquisitely sad. I nodded for her to continue. "When we left Edward told us that you asked him to leave. That you were frightened after what happened at your birthday. And we all understood. Edward explained that he didn't feel he could live here without you and implored us to move, and with haste. So, that's what we did. Edward mainly stayed off on his own, but he came back a couple of weeks ago telling us that he had come to visit you and that you two had mended things. We were all ecstatic and came back here to Forks happily. But – Edward lied, as we now know. I can never apologize enough for everything he has done to you. I understand that you were quite upset after we left, and we all made it worse by making it impossible to contact us. You just started healing and you moved on to someone new, you two look very sweet and happy together and that makes me so glad for you. Then we show back up and Edward does this. I just really can't apologize enough sweetie." It looked like she would cry if she could. I leaned forward and held my arms out to her. She made a sobbing noise and swooped in to gather me into her arms. "You've always been such a sweet girl." I felt her lips ghost over my cheek.

"It's alright Esme, trust me that I blame Edward for his actions and Edward only. I appreciate you and Carlisle trying to help me through this."

"I only hope there is something we can do. Now, do you need anything?"

"I need a bathroom and I'm really hungry." I replied. Esme nodded and held a hand out to me. I took it and she helped me up, walking me to a door at the other end of the room. She wheeled my IV pole for me and left me to do my business in privacy. As soon as my hands were washed she reappeared and helped me back to bed where Jake was still sitting. He looked a little shell shocked. I sat and Esme ascertained what I wanted to eat before flitting off to the kitchen. "You don't need to stay dad, I'm pretty well taken care of here. I'll call you when I know anything."

"Are you sure Bells?" He asked sounding concerned.

"I'm sure dad, you look exhausted."

"I could use some sleep. Carlisle and Esme offered me a room here, but I'm kind of uncomfortable seeing as they are vampires." I understood the feeling.

"It's alright dad, go on home and I promise any news I'll make sure you find out." I vowed. Charlie nodded and leaned in to kiss my forehead. I hugged him gently and watched him retreat from the room. I then turned to Jake who had not moved or said anything in around ten minutes. "Jake, are you alright?" He blinked a couple of times as the words made their way to his brain.

"I – yeah, sorry Bella, this is a lot to take in. I'm really worried about you." He shifted so he was at the head of my bed and I was settled back against his chest, his arms securely around me. "It's my job to protect you and keep you safe, I failed." He sighed. I turned so I could look at his face, his eyes were downcast and he looked angry – at himself I was sure.

"There was nothing you could have done differently Jake. I don't hold you responsible at all. And it sounds like you might have protected me awhile ago. If your bite transferred antibodies that made it so the venom can't take hold then you were protecting me all along." That seemed to make him feel marginally better.

"I hope that's the case Bella." Jake sounded tired and sad. Just then the door opened and Esme came in with a tray of food.

"Here we go, I made what you wanted Bella. Jake, I made plenty of food so feel free to help yourself." Esme sounded chipper, but I could tell she was tense.

"Thank you Esme, this looks great." I smiled at her as she placed the tray on a table then wheeled it to the bed.

"Anything else I can do for you at the moment?" She asked looking between Jake and myself.

"No thank you. I think after we eat some sleep might be in order." I answered politely.

"If you need anything just call dear. Carlisle and I will be around." Esme smiled over her shoulder before she left the room and silently disappeared. I dug into the food. I was less hungry than I thought I was. I got Jake to eat a bit as well, but his appetite was diminished. Finally I turned in Jake's arms and closed my eyes as I rested on his shoulder.

"Seriously Jake, are you alright?" I asked looking up into his eyes. He finally looked at me and appeared to soften. He sighed and ran a hand gently through my hair.

"I will be, this situation is awful but, it's just the reality of what's happening. I'll never forgive myself if you change, but we'll adapt. I love you so much and I just wish I could have done something more."

"I love you too, Jake. More than I could imagine, and nothing will ever change that, no matter what happens. Just think if I get changed you'll never have to quit phasing or live without me. We could hunt together." I laughed. Jake smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. I reached up and ran my thumbs under his eyes. "You look exhausted Jake, get some sleep."

"I am pretty tired." He admitted. Jake leaned forward and pressed his lips on mine softly. He gathered me closer before his head dropped onto the pillow. Within moments he was passed out and I cuddled in closer before dropping off to sleep myself.

* * *

The next time I woke up I was shivering and hurting intensely. Jake was still with me, I felt his arms contract around me and heard him utter Carlisle's name. My eyes snapped open as the door to the room did.

"Something bad is happening doc, she started shivering uncontrollably and moaning. I think she's in pain." Jake sounded terrified. He finally noticed I was awake. "Are you okay Bells?"

"I feel horrible." My teeth chattered out. Jake reluctantly let go of me and moved off of the bed so that Carlisle could get to me and examine me. "I'm freezing. Everything hurts." I managed. Carlisle put his fingers to my pulse point, taking my pulse and frowning. He got me to sit up and ran his eyes over me.

"Does my skin feel cold to you Bella?" He asked. I shook my head no, he felt a normal temperature to me. I felt an extreme pain. I gasped and my whole body shuddered, I struggled to stay awake. "Jake, get over here please." Carlisle sounded calm despite the tense situation. "I think the venom has begun to overpower the antibodies. The only thing I can think is if you bite her and transfer more antibodies. I don't know if it will work, I don't know if it will be helpful of harmful or do nothing. But I need you to try." Jake looked apprehensive, but he leaned in and sank his teeth into my neck. I balked at the bite and came close to passing out from the pain warring in my body. The bite didn't seem to do much, I felt my pulse quicken as it thudded in my ears. "What do you feel Bella?" Carlisle asked. I could not respond. My body felt like it was tearing itself apart and re-arranging itself incorrectly. I could scarcely breathe. My vision blacked out and I fell back onto the bed. Desperately scared and unsure of what was happening to me.

* * *

**AN: Sooooooooo I'm still a bit torn on what to do here. So I put it off for an entire chapter. You're welcome. :) I thought this would be a nice way to introduce Carlisle and Esme back into the story. They are some of my favorite vamps. Anyhow I think I know what will happen but I haven't started the next chapter so we shall see. Big thanks to 4Gracie04 for the review on the last chapter and to cloudshadow22 for the review for Chapter 6. Thank you guys for reading, signing up for alerts, favving, and reviewing all of it makes me happy! Until next time - TTT**


	10. New World

**AN: Hey guys! Little bit o' steam in this chapter. Denoted by *** please skip if you don't care for mature content or you should not be reading it. Enjoy!**

* * *

10\. New World

I was instantly aware that something had changed within me upon opening my eyes. I could see clearer, sounds were more vibrant, and my sense of smell was heightened. Tuning in with these senses I immediately could tell I was not a vampire. I still had a heartbeat, a very quick heartbeat. I could hear Jake's heart and breathing by my bedside, my eyes snapped to him.

"Bella, you're awake!" He sounded very relieved.

"What happened to me Jake?" I asked. My throat was dry and itchy, I had a craving for something...something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Well, you're not a vampire, that's the important thing to remember Bells. I don't quite understand this myself, so Carlisle will explain this all to you. Well, the best that he can, we're a little unsure of what has happened to you." Upon Jake's words the door to the room clicked open and Carlisle walked in.

"Good day Bella, how are you feeling?" He asked in calm, even tone.

"I feel much better, but strange." Carlisle smiled kindly at my words and pulled up a stool, rolling up next to the bed. He gently took my wrist, measuring out my pulse.

"Something...unexpected happened when Jake bit you. The venom was taking hold, your body is far more like that of a vampire than that of a human. Right on the brink of turning Jake bit you and from the testing I've done on how your DNA interacts with his, I can tell the his antibodies are always trying to protect you. The one thing a spirit warrior would not want would be for his mate to transition into a vampire. So while Edward's DNA was trying to spread through your body the antibodies Jake had unknowingly transferred to you were trying their best to halt the change. Now, unfortunately the venom seems to be a lot stronger than the antibodies. I do think that the best possible outcome was miraculously achieved here."

"Can you get to the point doc?" Jake grumbled from beside me. I looked over at him and shushed him.

Carlisle seemed unperturbed by the interruption "Basically, what happened is that you are half vampire, half human. Your body is strong and vastly improved thanks to the venom, but your heart still beats and you can still change and grow. It's not tested but I feel your diet could be either human food or blood dependent on preference." As soon as he said blood my throat ached. "I could further get into the reasons behind why this happened, but they aren't all that important, suffice to say that Jake saved you from fully transforming. You'll find your temperature is a bit above normal, you're running at about Jake's normal temperature. You can probably feel and hear that your heartbeat is quickened. I'm not sure why this is. To really know the lasting effects I'll have to keep examining you over time, but for now I don't see any reason why you can't return to life as normal."

"Well, almost normal." Jake interjected. He held out a mirror to me. I quirked an eyebrow but took it, looking at my face. My skin was far paler than it had been, much clearer. My eyes were a bit lighter. When I checked out my teeth they looked to have become sharper. There used to be a scar on my forehead from when Jake started teaching me how to ride the bikes he had restored, it had vanished. I looked like myself, only better.

"This change isn't very noticeable. I should be able to go back to school, right?" I asked.

Carlisle sighed. "It might be a bit more complicated than that Bella. We don't know if your thirst will be controllable." Again a burning in my throat. "You don't look too different, but you'll find that your reflexes are faster. You've always been a tad clumsy, this will have subsided as well with the increased physical abilities you have. People will notice you are different. But, it should be possible, yes. We can talk this all through later. Jake has volunteered to take you out to hunt, and then to see your father. I'd like for you to come back here at night though for me to monitor you." I nodded and looked at Jake. "Esme is getting you some clean clothes. I'll see you tonight Bella." Carlisle smiled kindly at me before pushing back.

"Thank you for everything Carlisle, we'll see you later." My voice sounded faint to my own ears. Carlisle bobbed his head and left the room. I looked back at Jake, he was staring at me. "You okay, Jake?" He blinked.

"I'm okay love, how are you?"

"I feel fine, better than fine actually." I reached out a hand and touched his face softly. He looked tired and a bit distressed. "What day is it?" I asked suddenly remembering I had been passed out for awhile.

"Friday. It's early morning." Jake answered. I'd lost almost a full week from this. The door opened and Esme stepped in with a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"Good morning Bella, good morning Jake. You're looking much better dear." Esme kindly placed a hand on my face before handing me the clothes in her arms. "You two are coming back here tonight?" She asked. I nodded. "I'll make supper for you two in case hunting doesn't work out for you." She smiled and waved as she exited the room. I pushed off of the bed and went into the bathroom. I quickly changed and relieved myself before coming back out. Jake was staring at me again.

"What is it Jake?" I asked.

"You just move around very differently now. No one would ever call you graceful before, but you are now." I couldn't tell if he seemed happy about this fact or not. I guess I hadn't realized. I didn't stumble once after getting out of bed, and moving seemed a lot easier than it ever had.

"Do you still love me?" I asked. Jake's gaze softened immeasurably.

"I'll always love you Bella. This change will just take a little getting used to, that's all. You're still you, only less accident prone." He laughed affectionately. "Let's go, see how this hunting thing goes." He held out his hand and I took it letting him lead me from the room. From there out of the house and into the forest the surrounded the Cullen house. "I don't really know how this will go, but I'm going to phase so we can both hunt. Are you...thirsty?" Jake asked. Again at the mention of thirst my throat burned. I nodded. Jake took his shirt off and slid out of his shorts handing me his clothes before pacing away to phase. My brain was working differently. Like I could focus on many things at once, that varied in importance. As I watched Jake disrobe himself I couldn't help but feel desire for him. I could still feel my thirst, but it seemed lesser. I flitted to the tree line and set Jake's clothes down. He emerged in wolf form.

I walked up to him and ran my fingers through his fur, he grumbled happily. I wasn't sure what I was doing but I focused on my senses of sound and smell. I heard movement ahead and quickly moved forward, Jake easily keeping pace with me. There were a couple of deer near a stream, my eyes narrowed, it was almost like I could see the pulse beating in the deer's neck. I crept forward, trying to figure out the best strategy. I knew I could probably catch the deer easily if it spooked, but that sounded like a pain. When I was close enough I lunged toward the deer and latched onto its neck. An easy kill. I noticed in the background that Jake had taken down the other deer. The burning in my throat slightly subsided. It took me less time and mess than it did for Jake, but I waited patiently for him to finish.

"I could probably go for one more, you?" I asked. Jake nodded his massive head and I listened to find another source of blood. Another two deer taken down by Jake and I found the ache in my throat dulled and the pair of us headed back to the Cullen house. It would have been hard for me to find my way back before becoming a half vampire, but it was easy now. I just followed our scents back. Jake turned back into a man short of the treeline.

"You're a natural it seems Bells." Jake grinned at me. My eyes roved over his body of their own accord. "Hey now, don't look at me so indecently Miss Swan." He laughed. I blushed, but stepped closer to Jake. "It was kind of weird watching you hunt. My protective instincts were going haywire."

"But I don't need to be protected now." I lifted a shoulder in a shrug and stepped even closer. "That doesn't mean I don't still need you." My voice was getting lower and huskier as I closed the distance between us.

"Bella, in the forest, really?" Jake asked with a low laugh.

"You don't want to?" I asked looking up at him and blinking my eyes at him, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, I want to. You're feeling alright?" He double checked on my health. *******

"I feel more than alright." I said pushing my body flush with his. I hoisted myself into his arms and wrapped my legs around him. He walked until my back came into contact with a tree. I latched my mouth onto his and kissed him hungrily. His arms tightened around me as I pushed closer to him.

"Mmm Bella, I've been so worried about you. I'm so glad you're alright."

"I couldn't ask for someone better to be by my side through this Jake. I love you!" I truly was grateful for him. One of his hands travelled from my chin to my hip. He ground up against me and I gasped at the feeling. I quickly pulled my shirt up and off of my body, somehow Jake managed to get my shorts and underwear off without setting me down, and he pushed up into me. I moaned at the feeling. Jake pushed me further into the tree and moved against me harder and faster. The tree was holding me up so Jake's hands started roving my body. I moaned loudly as one hand enveloped my breast, while the other slapped over my butt. I kept one hand on Jake's shoulder while the other slid down my body, where my hand worked over my clit. It didn't take long for my body to build up to a shuddering climax. My breath heaving out of my body, trusting Jake to keep me upright. Jake shifted his mouth from my mouth to my neck and put my nerve endings on fire again. He was still pumping in and out of me and suddenly he pulled my hips in closer, pushing deeper into me. I almost screamed at the intense feeling of pleasure it elicited.

"Ugh Bella, I love you. I only need you." He growled out. The new angle he was pushing into me at was quickly building me to another climax. My eyes rolled back as I gave into the sensations Jake was providing me. It was almost more than I could handle. Jake was always good, but this was exceptional. Jake was breathing out heavily and I knew it wouldn't be long for him. I couldn't hold on as Jake flicked his fingers over me skilfully. My breathing pretty much stopped, my whole body shuddered and I felt a gushing flood between my legs. Jake groaned and pulled out of me before stilling and releasing over the tree behind me. I hadn't event taken our lack of condoms into consideration. Jake and I both were breathing heavily as I set my feet on the ground and Jake stepped back from me. *******

"Wow Jake that was...really amazing." He grinned and leaned down to kiss me soundly.

"What can I say?" He chuckled as he stepped back. "I've missed you. I wasn't lying when I said I've been worried. Most of this week I've spent surrounded by vamps, taking your blood, taking my blood. I've been watching you passed out for most of the time. Just wracked with worry. This is obviously not what we wanted, but like Carlisle said it's the best outcome given the circumstances." I nodded in agreement.

"I owe that to you. If I wasn't your imprint I'd be a full vampire by now. We're lucky to have each other Jake." I wrapped my arms around him and breathed him in gratefully. I realized as I pulled back that both Jake and myself were sticky and covered in leaves and dirt from the forest foray. "Jake, we can't go see my dad looking like this." I gestured to our current state. He nodded.

"There's a stream not far from here. We can clean up a bit before being able to shower at your place." I nodded. We set off to find the river and washed up quickly. Once we were dry enough we pulled our clothes back on and exited the forest. Somehow my truck was parked in front of the Cullen house. We got into it and I turned the key in the ignition. "Running home would probably be faster." Jake joked as I pulled my old truck onto the highway.

"Probably." I laughed. "I don't know what to tell Charlie." I admitted.

"Just tell him the bite changed you, but not fully. And that we don't really know what it means. That's pretty accurate. I think half-vamp will probably be a bit much for him." Jake suggested. I nodded, he was probably right. I sighed as we pulled into the driveway of my house. My dad's cruiser was sitting there so I knew he was home. Jake got out of the truck and came and opened my door as I sat terrified to tell my dad what happened. He was also going to be the fist human I'd be around since changing. I wasn't sure what would happen. "Come on Bella, it'll be fine." Jake held his hand out to me and I took it, letting Jake lead me to the door of the house.

"Dad?" I called out after opening the door.

"Bella?" I heard from upstairs before my dad appeared.

"Oh, sorry were you sleeping?" He looked a little rough.

"It's alright, I'm so glad to see you Bella!" My dad came down the stairs and swept me up in a hug. I could feel a burning in throat as he enveloped me in his arms, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

"I'm very sorry to have worried you dad." I knew my voice was slightly altered, my dad seemed to notice that as well as the physical difference in me as he let go of me and gave me a once over. "We should go to the kitchen. I have some things to tell you, and Carlisle wants me to come back to his place for him to observe me overnight."

"Alright Bella." My dad padded off and I looked over to Jake. He gave me an encouraging smile and took my hand, squeezing it lightly before we headed off to the kitchen as well. Charlie was already sitting at the table and I pulled Jake down to sit next to me. "So, tell me what happened Bells."

"Well, dad it's complicated, and we don't entirely know the full situation. But pretty much after Edward bit me, the venom started spreading, but thanks to Jake it couldn't fully spread. So I'm not a vampire, but not entirely a human. That's all we really know."

"But, you're going to be alright?" My dad asked, he sounded very concerned.

"Yes, dad I'm going to be alright. I think after a couple days of Carlisle doing tests we will have more information, and everything can go back to normal." I answered. My dad took in a deep breath and sighed it out.

"Well...I'm glad you're going to be alright Bells, I was really worried. Jake, I don't know what you did to save our girl, but thank you." My dad grabbed his free hand that was on the table in an unusual gesture. Jake smiled kindly at him.

"I didn't really do anything. But, I would do anything for Bella, you know that. Plus, she is strong and determined, I'm sure that helped." Jake was always so good at reassuring people. I threw a smile at him.

"I know you would Jake, that's a big relief for me." My dad answered.

"Bella is much more durable now Charlie, I don't think we need to worry about her." Jake smiled at me. My dad raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, vampires are very strong, and very fast, and almost impossible to kill. I inherited a good portion of those qualities when Edward bit me. We don't know the extent yet, but that's why I need to go back to see Carlisle." I watched as my dad took in the information.

"Do you...uh, what about your diet?" Charlie asked as tactfully as he knew how.

"I can eat normally, or I can have a blood diet. My body will accept either. This doesn't change anything Dad. I'm still your daughter, I'll still live here and go to school and do all the things I'd planned to do. I'm just a little different than I was. Please don't worry about me, and please be okay with this." I looked at him a little desperately. Charlie smiled at me and shook his head slightly.

"Bella, I'll always love you, no matter what you are. You are my daughter and I love you. I'm really, really glad you are okay." I got up and went to hug him at his words. I had to remind myself not to squeeze him too tightly.

"I love you so much dad. Thank you for being so understanding about all of this. I really, really appreciate it." I felt like I might cry, but I reigned it in. My dad patted my back lightly and I withdrew.

* * *

Jake and I spent the day with my father, just talking, watching television, and eventually letting my dad nap. "I should make Charlie something for dinner, I don't think we'll be around much this weekend." I told Jake in an undertone, while my dad snored lightly in the background. Jake nodded, he looked on the verge of sleep himself. I pushed up in Jake's arms and kissed his Jaw before getting up and going to the kitchen. I looked through the fridge and pulled out ingredients to make chicken and potatoes. I unwound from the weird week I had had as I chopped, seasoned, and put the food in the oven. I cleaned the mess I had created and peeked into the living room. Both my dad and Jake were passed out in front of the TV. I smiled to myself, and flitted up the stairs to my room, deciding to shower while the food was in the oven. Once I was clean I grabbed a book and went to go sit in the kitchen to read.

I heard Jake approach me and for once didn't get spooked when his arms came around me. "Hey love, sorry I fell asleep." His voice still sounded a little muffled from sleep.

"No worries. I've got dinner in the oven and I showered, which was sorely needed." I replied.

"How long until dinner is ready?" Jake asked.

"Maybe ten minutes or so?" I answered.

"I'll go shower off then too, I could use it for sure. I won't be long." Jake pressed a kiss to my lips and then loped off, up the stairs. A couple of minutes later my dad woke up, I heard his breathing pick up. After a handful of seconds he entered the kitchen.

"Hey Bells, guess I needed some sleep." He mumbled.

"Yeah, no worries Dad, Jake fell asleep as well. He's just showering. I've almost got dinner ready." I replied.

"Thanks Bella." He sat across from me and regarded me seriously. "You alright Bella, really?"

"I'm okay. This has all been a lot, and I didn't want any of it, but I guess I'm alright with the way it turned out. I might look a bit different, sound a bit different, and be a little more graceful, but I'm essentially still myself."

"I could kill Edward you know? He doesn't deserve to be able to hurt anyone else."

"I know Dad, the wolves are taking care of it." I answered. Just then my very own wolf padded back into the room, fresh from a shower, and wearing clothes he happened to keep in my room. Simultaneously the timer for the oven went off. I got up and pulled out the food from the oven. "Alright guys, get it while it's hot!" I dished up for myself and took a seat.

* * *

Before I knew it dinner was over and Jake and I were headed back off to the Cullen's. My dad didn't seem too happy to see me leave, but I knew he understood why I had to. So Jake and I took off through the woods, seeing as running was now more efficient than taking my ancient truck. Jake seemed to know where we were going, so I just followed along behind him. It didn't take long before we were emerging into the Cullen's yard. Jake took my hand and we approached the house. I stopped short when I saw the pixie like vampire standing by the front door, watching as we came nearer.

"Bella, please let me talk to you." Her voice trilled out.

"Alice, I don't want to talk to you." I replied.

"It's important Bella, really important, please!" She begged with both her voice and eyes. I shot Jake a look and he shrugged.

"Fine, Alice. Talk."

* * *

**AN: Okay, hopefully this resolution is acceptable? I could not write this chapter until I had what I wanted in mind. And I thought of this outcome and set my fingers a flying over the keyboard. So, I hope you all liked this chapter. I couldn't help the little love scene in it. It just kinda crept up on me. Thanks to all of my reviewers since the last update, CullenBoyzAreMyLifeNow, Dr1zzy, brankle1(x4), 4Gracie04, lorilou7831, and my two guest reviewers! I love love LOVE reviews. Ya'll make me so happy! And on that note, if you enjoyed this chapter please review, fav, and follow this story! Until next time - TTT**


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